Kershaw receives his second Spahn Award

As his Dodgers prepared to open the National League Championship Series against the Cardinals on Friday, left-hander Clayton Kershaw was announced as the recipient of the 2013 Warren Spahn Award.

The award is presented annually by the Oklahoma City Bricktown Rotary Club and the Jim Thorpe Association to the top left-handed pitcher in the Majors, and it is named after Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn. Spahn's 363 career victories are the most by any southpaw in MLB history.

"It is such an honor to represent Warren Spahn and his many accomplishments on the mound," Kershaw said in a statement. "Thank you to the Bricktown Rotary Club for awarding me this prestigious honor. I'm ever so grateful for your ongoing support. Lord willing, I look forward to being a good steward of all this award embodies."

Kershaw, a three-time All-Star and the 2011 NL Cy Young Award winner, went 16-9 with a Major League-best 1.83 ERA in the regular season, along with an NL-best 232 strikeouts.

This marks the second time Kershaw has won the Spahn Award after receiving the honor in 2011. He will be presented with the award during a ceremony in Oklahoma City in January.