Kershaw secures 6th straight 200-K season
Dodgers' lefty is 10th pitcher in history to accomplish the feat
LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw picked up another milestone on the mound in Wednesday night's 3-0 win against the Nationals.
The Dodgers left-hander struck out the side, all via curveball, in the second inning, reaching 200 strikeouts for the season. Kershaw is the 10th pitcher in Major League history to have at least 200 strikeouts in six straight seasons. Felix Hernandez, who recorded his sixth last year, has the only other active streak.
The only other Dodger to achieve the feat was Sandy Koufax in 1961-66. Kershaw has also tied Koufax and Don Drysdale for the most 200-strikeout seasons in franchise history.
Consecutive 200-K seasons
| PITCHER | SEASONS | YEARS |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Seaver | 9 | 1968-76 |
| Walter Johnson | 7 | 1910-16 |
| Roger Clemens | 7 | 1986-92 |
| Sandy Koufax | 6 | 1961-66 |
| Sam McDowell | 6 | 1965-70 |
| Mickey Lolich | 6 | 1969-74 |
| Bert Blyleven | 6 | 1971-76 |
| Randy Johnson | 6 | 1997-2002 |
| Felix Hernandez | 6 | 2009-14 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 6 | 2010-15 |
"It's cool when you get to be associated with those guys," Kershaw said. "I like consistency. When you look around at the Mark Buehrle streak, the Dan Harens, the guys that don't go on the DL that are around a long time, I have a lot of respect for those guys."
Kershaw, who allowed three hits in eight scoreless innings while fanning eight on Wednesday, leads the Majors in strikeouts and has been the league leader in whiffs for the season twice, in 2011 and '13. He has averaged at least 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings in every season of his career, but he's up to 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings this season, which also leads the Majors.