Clayton Edward Kershaw…resides in Dallas with his wife, Ellen, and their daughter, Cali, and son, Charley…selected in the first round (7th overall) in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and signed by Dodger scout Calvin Jones.
2017
Despite being limited to just 27 starts, he finished the season leading the National League in wins (18, T-1st ML), ERA (2.31, 2nd ML), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.73, 3rd ML) and opponents' OBP (.246, 2nd ML)...also ranked among the best in the senior circuit in winning percentage (.818, 2nd), WHIP (0.95, 2nd), opponents' OPS (.604, 3rd), opponents' SLG (.357, 5th), strikeout per nine innings (10.39, 5th) and strikeouts (202, 8th)...finished second in the National League Cy Young voting...Held the opposition to a .212 average, which ranked fourth in the NL, including a .203 mark against right-handed hitters (5th, NL)...limited hitters to a .167 average with runners in scoring position, which ranked second best in the big leagues (min. 100 BFP), trailing just Chicago's Kyle Hendricks (.154)...Selected to his seventh consecutive All-Star team (2011-17), making him the first Dodger to be named to seven straight All-Star Games since Steve Garvey who made eight consecutive appearances in the Midsummer Classic...did not participate in the All-Star game...Recorded a 12-game winning streak from May 6-Sept. 1, which was the longest winning streak in the big leagues... during that span he posted a 1.70 ERA (20 ER/106.0 IP) and limited batters to a .185 average, while punching out 131 batters against just 21 walks...won eight consecutive games from June 7-July 18 during that stretch, which matched his career-high (also: June 2-July 10, 2014)...According to Stats LLC., became just the fourth Dodger pitcher since 1913 to win at least 16 of his first 18 decisions in one season (16-2, 1.95 ERA), joining Freddie Fitzsimmons (16-2, 1940), Preacher Roe (16-2, 1951), and Don Newcombe (17-1, 1955)...Obtained his 2,000th career strikeout in the second inning against Milwaukee on June 2, reaching the milestone in 1,837.2 innings, the fourth fastest all-time behind only Pedro Martinez (17 15.1 IP), Randy Johnson (1734.0 IP) and Max Scherzer (1784.0)...Was placed on the DL from July 24-Sept. 1 with a lower back strain...prior to his stint on the DL, he went 15-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 21 starts and led the big leagues in wins, ERA and innings pitched (141.1 IP, T-1st)...returned from the DL on Sept. 1 and went 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA (13 ER/33.2 IP) in six starts...Was named National League Pitcher of the Week ending in July 9...Appeared in six games (five starts) in the postseason, going 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA (14 ER/33.0 IP) and held hitters to a .179 average... collected his seventh career postseason victory in Game 1 of the World Series against the Astros, collecting the most all-time postseason wins in Dodger history.
2016
Limited by a mid-season back injury to just 21 starts, but earned his sixth consecutive All-Star selection, going 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA...Among pitchers with 140.0 or more innings, he led the Majors with a 1.69 ERA, a .184 opponents' batting average, a 0.72 WHIP and a 15.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 172 strikeouts against just 11 walks in 149.0 innings...His 15.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the highest mark ever for any MLB pitcher with 125.0 or more innings pitched in a single season...made six consecutive starts with 10 or more strikeouts and one walk or less (April 21-May 17), a modern MLB record...Was placed on the DL from June 27-Sept. 9 with a mild herniated disc in his lower back...went 11-2 with a 1.79 ERA (24 ER/121.0 IP) in 16 starts prior to the injury, which caused him to miss the All-Star Game...after returning from the disabled list on Sept. 9, he went 1-2 with a 1.29 ERA (4 ER/28.0 IP) in five starts...Was named the NL's May Pitcher of the Month• Appeared in five games (four starts) in the postseason, going 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA (12 ER/24.1 IP) and picking up the save in the Dodgers' NLDS Game 5 win at Washington.
2015
Went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA in a career high-tying 33 starts in his fifth consecutive All-Star season. ... Became the first MLB pitcher to reach 300 strikeouts since 2002 (Schilling, Johnson) with his 301 strikeouts ranking as the fourth highest single-season total in franchise history behind Sandy Koufax's 1965 (382 SO), 1966 (317 SO) and 1963 (306 SO) seasons…had twice led the NL in strikeouts (2011, 2013), but 2015 marked his first time leading the Majors in Ks. ... Melvin Upton Jr. was the victim of Kershaw's 300th strikeout and his 887th batter faced. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1900, there have been 34 instances of pitchers recording 300 or more strikeouts in a season, and only three other times during that span has a pitcher reached that milestone facing as few batters as Kershaw needed this year, Pedro Martinez (799 BF, 1999 BOS) and Randy Johnson twice (862 BF, 2000 ARI and 779 BF, 2001 ARI). ... Tied his single-game career high with 15 strikeouts in a complete-game victory over the Giants on Sept. 2 at Dodger Stadium…also accomplished the feat in his no-hitter on June 18, 2014 vs. Colorado • Recorded double-digit strikeouts in 13 of 33 starts. ... In addition to leading the Majors in strikeouts, ranked among the big league leaders in wins (16, 11th), ERA (2.13, 3rd), innings pitched (232.2, 1st), opponents' batting average (.194, 3rd), WHIP (0.88, 3rd), complete games (4, T-1st) and shutouts (3, T-1st). ... Pitched 7.0 or more innings in 22 starts and went 8.0 or more innings 10 times. ... Strung together 37.0 consecutive scoreless innings from July 3-Aug. 1…after firing 41.0 consecutive scoreless innings in 2014, according to Elias, he became the first pitcher since Luis Tiant in 1968 and 1972 to have multiple single-season scoreless streaks of 37.0 or more innings in his career…Tiant did his damage with the Indians in '68 (41.0 IP, Apr. 24-May 17) and Red Sox in '72 (40.0 IP, Aug. 19-Sept. 8). ... Selected as the National League's July Pitcher of the Month after going 3-0 with a 0.27 ERA (1 ER/33.0 IP) in four starts in the month…limited opposing hitters to a .162 batting average (19-for-117) with 45 strikeouts against only two walks in 33.0 innings…was his fifth career monthly award and fourth for the month of July (also: '11, '13 and '14). ... After losing three consecutive starts for the first time in his career June 17-27, reeled off a 13-start unbeaten streak from July 3-Sept. 14, going 9-0 with a 0.98 ERA (11 ER/101.0 IP) during the run, which tied for the second longest winning streak in the Majors this year. ... Made his fifth consecutive Opening Day start on April 6 vs. San Diego, allowing three runs in 6.0 innings in a no-decision… in Los Angeles history, only Don Drysdale (7, 1972-78) has made more consecutive Opening Day starts. ... Started and won back-to-back division-clinching games against the Giants, tossing 8.0 innings of one-run ball on Sept. 24, 2014 and throwing a one-hit shutout on Sept. 29 at AT&T Park…it was the first one-hitter thrown by a Dodger since Hiroki Kuroda's masterpiece against the Braves on July 7, 2008 at Dodger Stadium and according to Elias, Kershaw became the second pitcher in MLB history to throw a shutout with one hit or less in a division clincher (other: Mike Scott, Sept. 25, 1986 no-hitter, HOU vs. SF). ... Picked up his 100th career win on May 15 vs. Colorado at the age of 27 years, 57 days, becoming the second-youngest active pitcher to reach the milestone. ... Led the Majors with 10 pickoffs • Went 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA (4 ER/13.2 IP) in two postseason starts in the NLDS vs. the Mets, losing Game 1 and picking up the win in Game 4…struck out 19 in 13.2 innings, while posting a 0.88 WHIP.
2014
Topped the Majors with 21 wins (21-3) and a 1.77 ERA in 27 starts, as he became the first-ever pitcher to win four consecutive MLB ERA titles, en route to being named National League Most Valuable Player and unanimously winning his second consecutive and third career Cy Young Award...Also honored with the Players Choice Awards for Marvin Miller Man of the Year, MLB Player of the Year and Outstanding National League Pitcher, a selection as both Sporting News' and Baseball America's MLB Player of the Year and the Warren Spahn Award as the game's top left-hander...Earned 18 of 30 first-place MVP votes and nine second-place votes, garnering 355 total points, as he became just the fourth Dodger pitcher to win the award, joining Sandy Koufax (1963), Don Newcombe (1956) and Dazzy Vance (1924), and the first Dodger overall to win the award since Kirk Gibson in 1988… was the 11th player in club history to win the award and a Dodger was honored as the league's MVP for the 13th time, the third most by a National League team behind only the Cardinals (20) and Giants (14)…was the first National League pitcher to be honored as MVP since the Cardinals' Bob Gibson in 1968 and just the fourth NL pitcher in the Cy Young era (since 1956) to win the award…overall since 1956, only 11 pitchers (eight starting pitchers) have been selected as MVP - Justin Verlander (2011), Dennis Eckersley (1992), Roger Clemens (1986), Willie Hernandez (1984), Rollie Fingers (1981), Vida Blue (1971), Gibson (1968), Denny McLain (1968), Koufax (1963), Newcombe (1956) - with all also winning the Cy Young Award in the same season…of those, only Kershaw, Verlander and Koufax threw a no-hitter in their MVP season...Received all 30 first-place Cy Young votes, making him the 14th pitcher to win by a unanimous vote in the NL, joining Sandy Koufax (three times), Greg Maddux (two times), Randy Johnson, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Rick Sutcliffe, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Jake Peavy and Roy Halladay…became just the ninth all-time pitcher to win three or more Cy Youngs and also the ninth pitcher to win the award in consecutive seasons… there has been a unanimous winner in the American League nine times, with Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana each doing so twice; and Denny McLain, Ron Guidry and Justin Verlander once apiece...Led the Majors with an .875 winning percentage (21-3), the second-highest mark ever by a Dodger (min. 20 starts), behind only Preacher Roe's .880 winning percentage (22-3) in 1951…the Dodgers posted a 23-4 record in Kershaw's 27 starts, including a 14-1 mark in his 15 starts of 8.0 or more innings...Also topped the Majors with a 0.86 WHIP and six complete games, while ranking among the NL leaders in strikeouts (239, 3rd), opponents' batting average (.196, 2nd), shutouts (2, T-3rd) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.71, 1st)...Was selected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game and pitched a scoreless inning in the contest...His 1.77 ERA was the lowest mark by an MLB starter since Pedro Martinez posted a 1.74 ERA with Boston in 2000 and the lowest ERA for a National Leaguer since Greg Maddux's 1.63 mark with Atlanta in 1995...Posted a career-best 11-game winning streak from June 2-Aug. 10...was the longest run in the Majors this year, during which he went 11-0 with a 1.16 ERA (13 ER/101.0 IP) with five complete games (two shutouts) in 13 starts…during the streak, he limited opposing hitters to a .178 batting average (62-for-349), with 117 strikeouts against only 12 walks in 101.0 innings....Selected as the National League's Pitcher of the Month in June (6-0, 0.82 ERA) and July (4-0, 1.07)… became the third all-time Dodger to win NL Pitcher of the Month in consecutive months, joining Don Sutton (April-May 1975) and Burt Hooton (Aug.-Sept. 1975)...Strung together 41.0 consecutive scoreless innings from June 13-July 10, which tied with Luis Tiant (1968) for the fifth longest streak in the expansion era behind only Orel Hershiser (59.0 IP, 1988), Don Drysdale (58.0 IP, 1968), Bob Gibson (47.0, 1968) and Brandon Webb (42.0, 2007)...Took a perfect game bid into the seventh inning, retiring the game's first 18 hitters before Corey Dickerson reached on a Hanley Ramirez throwing error, and struck out a career-high 15 batters on 107 pitches in the Dodgers' 8-0 win in his first-career no-hitter on June 18 vs. Colorado…his 15 Ks were the most ever for a Dodger in a no-hitter and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the most by any pitcher in Major League history that did not allow a runner to reach base via hit, walk or hit by pitch, besting the previous mark of 14, shared by Nap Rucker (September 5, 1908), Sandy Koufax (September 9, 1965) and Matt Cain (June 13, 2012)...It was the first no-hitter thrown at Dodger Stadium since the Angels' combined 8.0-inning no-hit loss on June 28, 2008 and first by an individual since the Dodgers' Ramon Martinez on July 14, 1995 vs. Florida...In the last 100 years, only six other pitchers did not allow a walk or hit by pitch in a no-hitter, but failed to pitch a perfect game due to an error: Walter Johnson (1920), Bill McCahan (1947), Dick Bosman (1974), Jerry Reuss (1980), Terry Mulholland (1990) and Jonathan Sanchez (2009). Kershaw became the third Dodger to throw a non-perfect game no-hitter without issuing a walk, joining Reuss (June 27, 1980 at San Francisco, error) and Bill Singer (July 20, 1970 vs. Philadelphia, hit batter, two errors)...Picked up NL Player of the Week honors twice, the week of his no-hitter, June 16-22, and Sept. 8-14, when he went 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA (3 ER/16.0 IP) in two starts...Made his fourth consecutive Opening Day start and picked up the win in the Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the D-backs on March 22 at the Sydney Cricket Ground...Led the NL (including pitchers and position players) in wins above replacement (WAR), according to both Baseball-Reference.com (led the Majors) and FanGraphs...Topped NL pitchers with seven defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, and controlled the opposition's running game, allowing only five stolen bases all year, earning the distinction as a Gold Glove finalist....Batted .333 (5-for-15) with runners in scoring position and tied for fifth among NL pitchers with a .235 onbase percentage...Honored with his second consecutive Roy Campanella Award, becoming the first-ever two-time winner in the nine-year history of the award, which was voted upon by Dodger uniformed personnel...Missed 32 games on the disabled list from March 23- May 5 with a Teres Major strain...Took the loss in NLDS Games 1 and 4 against St. Louis
2013
Won his second-career Cy Young Award in 2013, becoming just the second Dodger (Sandy Koufax - 1963, 1965, 1966) and 17th all-time pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards, and his third consecutive MLB ERA title (1.83) as he became the first Major Leaguer to do so since Greg Maddux (1993-95) and the first-ever Dodger to accomplish the feat... His 1.83 ERA was the lowest mark by an MLB starter since Pedro Martinez posted a 1.74 ERA with Boston in 2000 and the lowest ERA for a National Leaguer since Maddux's 1.63 mark with Atlanta in 1995…it's the lowest mark by a pitcher with at least 220.0 innings since Dwight Gooden's 1.53 ERA in 1985 with the Mets and the fourth-lowest single-season ERA by an NL lefty in the Live Ball Era (best since Sandy Koufax, 1.73 ERA in 1966)…Koufax is the only other Los Angeles Dodger to record a sub-2.00 ERA season, doing so three times: 1963 (1.88 ERA), 1964 (1.74 ERA) and 1966... Was selected to his third-consecutive All-Star Game and tossed a scoreless third inning in the NL's 3-0 defeat... Also led the Majors with a 0.92 WHIP, while ranking among the NL leaders in strikeouts (232, 1st), innings pitched (career-high 236.0, 2nd), wins (16, T-3rd), opponents' batting average (.195, 2nd), complete games (3, T-3rd), shutouts (2, T-1st) and pickoffs (7, 2nd)... Was especially tough at home, posting the Majors' second-lowest home ERA at 1.54 (21 ER/122.2 IP) in 17 starts at Dodger Stadium…despite pitching well, had only an 8-6 home record... Selected as the NL's July Pitcher of the Month, leading the league with a 1.34 ERA and ranking among the Senior Circuit's best in wins (4-1, T-1st), strikeouts (43, T-3rd), opponents' batting average (.161, 3rd) and innings pitched (47.0, 1st) in six starts. During the month, he issued just two walks in 47.0 innings and tossed a four-hit shutout against the Rockies on July 2 at Colorado. It was his second monthly honor (also: July 2011)... Opened the campaign with two wins and 16.0 scoreless innings in two starts, which earned him National League Player of the Week honors for the period of April 1-7. He previously won NL Player of the Week for the periods of June 20-26, 2011 and May 14-20, 2012... Allowed three or fewer earned runs in 22 consecutive starts from July 24, 2012-May 26, 2013, tying Mat Latos (2010), Chris Carpenter (2005) and Johan Santana (2004) for the longest such run since 2000 and the longest run by a Dodger starter since Orel Hershiser had a 27-game run from July 12, 1985-May 25, 1986... Made his third consecutive Opening Day start with a shutout and a tie-breaking, eighth-inning home run against the Giants on April 1 and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kershaw became just the second pitcher in Major League history to hit a homer and throw a shutout in his team's season-opener…the only other was the Indians' Bob Lemon, who threw a one-hitter vs. the White Sox on April 14, 1953…Kershaw became just the fifth pitcher in Dodger history to throw a shutout while allowing four or fewer hits and hitting a home run in the same game, joining Carl Erskine (June 10, 1955 vs. CHC), Stan Williams (July 6, 1960 vs. SF), Tommy John (Aug. 8, 1977 vs. CIN) and Chan Ho Park (Sept. 29, 2000 at SD)…Elias also notes that Kershaw was the first starting pitcher to hit a home run in the eighth inning or later of a scoreless game since Sept. 16, 1971 when the Cubs' Juan Pizarro hit one off Tom Seaver in the eighth inning to give the Cubs a 1-0 triumph at Shea Stadium... Became the first-ever Dodger pitcher to win The Roy Campanella Award, which was instituted in 2006, voted on by Dodger players and coaches and awarded to the player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher... Went 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA (8 ER/23.0 IP) in four postseason starts…struck out 28 in 23.0 postseason innings…picked up the first postseason win of his career on Oct. 3 at Atlanta in Game 1 of the NLDS, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out 12 in 7.0 innings in the Dodgers' 6-1 victory... His 12 strikeouts in that game were the second-most Ks in Los Angeles postseason history behind only Sandy Koufax's 15 strikeouts in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series at New York…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, his six consecutive strikeouts from the fourth through sixth innings establishing a single-game Dodger postseason and tied the all-time playoff record along with Homer Bailey (CIN, Oct. 9, 2012 vs. SF), Mike Hampton (ATL, Oct. 1, 2003 vs. CHC), Todd Worrell (STL, Oct. 24, 1985 vs. KC), Moe Drabowsky (BAL, Oct. 5, 1966 at LA) and Hod Eller (CIN, Oct. 6, 1919 at CWS)... Tossed 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings without allowing an earned run (three unearned run), becoming just the fifth Dodger to post such a streak in a single postseason along with Sandy Koufax (18.0 IP, Oct. 11-14, 1965), Jerry Reuss (23.0 IP, Oct. 7-16, 1981), Orel Hershiser (24.1 IP, Oct. 8-20, 1988) and Burt Hooton (26.2 IP, Oct. 9-28, 1981).
2012
Led the Majors in ERA (2.53) for a second consecutive season, becoming the first pitcher to do so since Pedro Martinez in 2002-03, and ranked among the NL leaders in wins (14, T-16th), strikeouts (229, 2nd)opponents' batting average (.210, 2nd), innings pitched (227.2, 2nd), WHIP (1.02, 1st), pickoffs (11, 1st), quality starts (25, T-2nd) and home runs allowed per 9.0 innings (0.63, 6th)...was the first Dodger to lead the NL in ERA in consecutive seasons since Sandy Koufax led the league in ERA in five consecutive seasons from 1962-66...Koufax led the Majors in ERA in consecutive seasons in 1965-66. Finished second in the National League Cy Young voting, receiving two first-place votes and becoming the seventh Dodger to be a runner up for the award since 1967...the others are Ramon Martinez (1990), Fernando Valenzuela (1986), Jerry Reuss (1980), Burt Hooton (1978), Tommy John (1977) and Andy Messersmith (1974). Won double-digit games for the third year in a row in a career-high-tying 33 starts (also: 2011). Reached the 200-strikeout mark (229) for the third consecutive season, as he became just the sixth Los Angeles Dodger with three such seasons and just the fifth to do it three years in a row, joining Sandy Koufax (1961-66), Don Drysdale (1962-65), Hideo Nomo (1995-97) and Fernando Valenzuela (1984-86). Limited opponents to a .210 batting average, including a .181 mark (27-for-149) against left-handed hitters...held hitters to a .180 batting average (29-for-161) with runners in scoring position. Won 12 straight home decisions from May 2, 2011-April 27, 2012, tying Ed Roebuck (6/4/60-8/29/62) and Orel Hershiser (9/20/84-10/2/85) for the longest home winning streak in L.A. Dodger history...went 9-5 with a shutout and a 2.05 ERA (31 ER/136.0 IP) in 19 home starts this season. Had a career-long 10-game winning streak from Aug. 13, 2011-April 27, 2012, going 10-0 with a 1.22 ERA (13 ER/96.0 IP) with a complete game in 14 starts in that span. Posted quality starts in nine consecutive outings from July 29-Sept. 11, the longest such run of his career...went 5-3 with a 1.76 ERA (13 ER/66.1 IP) in that span. Fired 22.0 consecutive scoreless innings from May 8-19, which was the longest scoreless streak of his career. Finished the season by posting a 0.77 ERA (3 ER/35.0 IP) in his last five starts and led the Majors in ERA during Sept./Oct...capped off his second half in which he went 8-4 with a 2.10 ERA (25 ER/107.0 IP) and a .197 opponents' average in 15 starts. Named National League Player of the Week for the period of May 14-20, the second time he's won the honor (also: June 20-26, 2011), after going 2-0 and tossing 16.0 scoreless frames with wins over the D-backs (7.0 IP, 4 H, 6 K) and Cardinals (9.0 IP, 6 H, 4 K). Ranked second among pitchers with a .207 batting average and had 13 sacrifice hits, the second most in the Majors...knocked in two runs, including his first sacrifice fly...doubled on May 19 against the Cardinals for the first extra-base hit of his career. Selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game via a selection by Manager Tony La Russa and tossed a scoreless fifth inning in the National League's 8-0 win. Despite only a 5-6 record, posted a 2.14 ERA (24 ER/101.0 IP) in 15 starts against the NL West this season...has the lowest all-time ERA against the division (min. 20 starts) with a 2.41 ERA (111 ER/414.2 IP) in 66 G (65 GS) and four complete games (2 SHO). Fired two shutouts, allowing just six hits in a May 19 shutout vs. St. Louis and permitting five hits in a July 29 blanking at San Francisco...has five career shutouts. Struck out 10 or more on three occasions, including a season-high 12 strikeouts on June 9 at Seattle...has 18 games in his career with 10 or more strikeouts.
2011
Had a breakout season in 2011, taking home the National League Cy Young Award, winning the league's pitching Triple Crown, playing in his first All-Star Game and earning his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award...Also picked up the Players Choice Award for Outstanding NL Pitcher, selected as a Sporting News NL All-Star, won the Warren Spahn Award as the Majors' top lefthander and honored by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as the NL Pitcher of the Year with the Bullet Rogan Award... Became the eighth different Dodger pitcher to win the Cy Young Award as a Dodger took home the award for the 10th time...earned 207 overall points and appeared in the Top-3 on every ballot, garnering 27 first-place votes out of the possible 32 votes...was the second-youngest Dodger to be honored with a Cy Young Award behind Fernando Valenzuela (20, 1981) and the youngest National Leaguer to win since Dwight Gooden, who won the award in 1985 at the age of 20 with the Mets...Was the third different Dodger pitcher to win the Triple Crown, joining Dazzy Vance (1924) and Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966), and led the Majors with a 2.28 ERA, tied with Ian Kennedy for the NL lead with 21 wins and ranked first in the league with 248 strikeouts...Ranked among the NL leaders in opponents' batting average (.207, 1st), winning percentage (.808, 21-5, 2nd), innings pitched (233.1, 3rd), complete games (5, 3rd), shutouts (2, T-2nd) and WHIP (0.98, 1st)...Earned his spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers' single-season record books, ranking among team leaders in wins (T-7th), winning percentage (6th), ERA (11th), strikeouts (6th) and opponents' batting average (11th)...his 21 victories and 2.28 ERA were the best marks since Orel Hershiser went 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA in 1988 and his strikeout total was the highest for a Dodger since Sandy Koufax struck out 317 in 1966...Went 21-5 to become the Dodgers' first 20-game winner since Ramon Martinez in 1990...allowed just one run on six hits over 7.0 innings and outdueled former Cy Young Award Winner Tim Lincecum on Sept. 20 to pick up his 20th win in the Dodgers' 2-1 victory...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the youngest Major Leaguer to win more than 20 games in a season since a 20-year-old Dwight Gooden went 24-4 for the 1985 Mets and the youngest Dodger to win 20 since a 21-year-old Ralph Branca went 21-12 for Brooklyn in 1947...Became one of just four pitchers since 1970 to reach the 20-win plateau with 240 or more strikeouts in a single season while under the age of 24, joining Gooden (24 wins, 268 strikeouts in 1985), Bert Blyleven (20 W, 258 SO in 1973) and Vida Blue (24 W, 301 SO in 1971)...Made his first All-Star appearance in 2011 and was voted in to the Midsummer Classic via Player Ballot...in the game, tossed a scoreless inning and needed just eight pitches to set down the side in order by striking out David Ortiz and retiring Robinson Cano and Alex Avila on infield grounders...In a midseason Baseball America survey of National League managers, Kershaw was voted as having the league's third-best fastball, the circuit's best curveball and the third-best pickoff move...led the NL with nine pickoffs...Was at his best against divisional foes, going 12-2 with a 2.02 ERA in 16 starts...Posted a 5-0 record with a 1.07 ERA (5 ER/42.0 IP) in six starts against the World Champion San Francisco Giants, becoming the first Dodger to go 5-0 against the Giants in a single season since Vic Lombardi in 1946...went 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA (1 ER/30.1 IP) in four head-to-head matchups against Tim Lincecum in 2011...Made his first Opening Day start this season, becoming the fifth-youngest Opening Day starter in L.A. Dodger history at 23 years and 12 days...Fernando Valenzuela was younger in 1981 (20, 159) and 1983 (22, 155) and Don Drysdale was younger in 1958 (21, 266) and 1959 (22, 262)...struck out nine over 7.0 scoreless innings in the Dodgers' 2-1 Opening Day win over the Giants...Was dominant at Dodger Stadium, going 12-1 (.923) with the Majors' lowest home ERA at 1.69 (22 ER/117.1 IP), two shutouts and four complete games in 16 starts...finished the season by winning his final 11 decisions at home, which ties for the third-longest home winning streak in Los Angeles history...Went 12-1 with a 1.31 ERA (15 ER/102.2 IP) in the season's second half and completed the season on a career-long eight-game winning streak, which was the second-longest run in the NL this season...Went 8-0 with a 0.96 ERA (7 ER/65.2 IP) and a .192 opponents' batting average over his final nine starts, including a 4-0 record with a 1.30 ERA (5 ER/34.2 IP) in five September starts...Won the NL Pitcher of the Month in July, going 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA in five July starts...tied for the NL lead in wins and ranked third in ERA in the month...Earned the league's Player of the Week honor for the period of June 20-26, going a perfect 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP)...tossed a two-hit shutout of the Tigers on June 20 and allowed just two runs in a complete-game victory over the Angels on June 26...Also had a career year at the plate, setting career highs in batting average (.225), runs (10), hits (16) RBI (4) and on-base percentage (.267)...tied for the NL lead among pitchers in runs, ranked second in hits and finished with the third-highest batting average and on-base percentage.
2010
Went 13-10 with a 2.91 ERA in the best season of his three-year career, setting career highs andleading the team in wins, strikeouts (212), innings (204.1), starts (32) and quality starts (23) ... ranked fifth in the NL in strikeouts and his ERA ranked ninth among qualifying NL starters ... Was one of only 12 pitchers in the Majors to reach 200.0 innings and strike out more than 200 this season ... became the 41stpitcher in franchise history to accomplish the feat and joins Adonis Terry (1884, Brooklyn), Ramon Martinez (1990) and DonSutton (1966) as the only pitchers to reach both milestones in a single season prior to their 23rd birthday ... Led the club with a career-high 23 quality starts, seven more than his previous high of 16 from 2009 ... pitched 7.0 or more inningsin 15 of his 32 starts ... Ranked fifth in the Majors with a .214 opponents' batting average and held left-handed hitters to a .200 mark (32-for-160) ... Ranked second in the National League behind Philadelphia's Roy Oswalt with a 2.43 ERA in 15 starts on the road (26 ER/96.1IP) after posting a 4.37 ERA on the road in his first two professional seasons ... Tossed his first career complete game and shutout on Sept. 14 at San Francisco, allowing just four hits to beat the Giants 1-0 ... had started the most contests in franchise history (80) without a complete game ... Finished with a career-low average of 3.6 walks per 9.0 innings pitched, but his 81 bases on balls still were the seventh most inthe NL ... Allowed an average of just 0.57 home runs per 9.0 innings, the seventh-lowest mark in the NL ... opposing hitters had just a .320slugging percentage against him, which was the second-lowest mark on the Senior Circuit ... Was at his best against divisional opponents, going 9-2 with a 1.72 ERA (19 ER/99.1 IP) and a .181opponents' batting average(64-for-353) in 15 starts ... Tied for the National League lead and for second in the big leagues with eight pickoffs ... Led the Majors with 18 sacrifice hits, the most for aDodger since Juan Pierre's 20 sacrifices in 2007...wastied with Burt Hooton for second all time in Dodgerfranchise history, one behind Orel Hershiser's 19 in1988 ... Won four games in six starts in May, the most wins inany calendar month in his career ... in two consecutivestarts on May 9 and 15, he was credited with a victory,pitched at least seven innings and registered at leastseven strikeouts while allowing as few as one run andthree hits...only four other Dodgers pitchers since1900 have done that in consecutive starts in a singleseason: Sandy Koufax in 1961, Don Sutton in 1972,Orel Hershiser in 1984 and Chan Ho Park in 2000(Source: Elias). ... Led National League left-handers and ranked fifthoverall on the circuit with 212 strikeouts ... only twoleft-handers have had more strikeouts in a seasonin franchise history - Sandy Koufax (1961-66) andFernando Valenzuela (1984 and 1986) ... Ranked fourth in the National League with an averageof 9.34 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched ... Struck out 12 on July 8 against the Cubs for his secondhighestsingle-game total behind his 13 punchouts onApril 15, 2009 vs. San Francisco ... Participated in the Dodgers' 2011 calendar shoot,which featured children from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services ... Taught at The Players Trust's City Clinic at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton on Aug. 19.
2009
Finished the year going 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA (53 ER/171.0 IP)...struck out 185 batters to rank 11th in the National League...walked 91 hitters, which ranked third in the NL...Was dominant down the stretch despite not having much to show for it...in his last 10 starts, went 0-3, but posted an ERA of 2.56(16 ER/56.1 IP) and limited hitters to a .200 average...the club went just 14-16 when he took the mound...Allowed three runs or less in 26 of his 30 starts...On the season, led all Major Leaguer pitchers by limiting hitters to a .200 average (119-for-596) and a .282 slugging percentage...Ranked fifth in the NL in overall ERA (2.79) and first in ERA at home (1.83)...Joined Ralph Branca (1947), Don Drysdale (1956), Fernando Valenzuela (1981, '82) and Don Sutton (1966), as the only pitchersin Dodger franchise history since 1901 to appear in the Top-10 in ERA when they were 21 years or younger...Kershaw is the first inthe Majors to do so since Rick Ankiel in 2000...Won five consecutive games from June 21-July and posted a 0.73 ERA (3 ER/37.0 IP) over that time...Allowed 6.26 hits per nine innings, which was the best in baseball...Left-handers managed to hit just .173 against him, which was the sixth-best mark vs. lefties in the Major Leagues...Posted a 2-0 record to go along with a 1.14 ERA (3 ER/23.2 IP) in four Interleague starts...The opposition hit just .188 against him with runners in scoring position..the average went down to .133 with RISP and two out...Allowed just seven home runs on the season and two in one game just once (April 26 at COL)...In close and late situations, batters went just 3-for-22 (.136) without an RBI...Dominated in July, going 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA (3 ER/38.0 IP) in six starts...batters hit just .167 against him during the month...wonthe Dodgers' Farmers Insurance Player of the Month Award...Fanned a career-high 13 batters in his second start of the seasonback on April 15 vs. San Francisco...allowed just one run in 7.0 innings,but picked up the no-decision...had three other outings on theseason in which he struck out at least 10 batters...Aug. 8 vs. Atlanta(10), Aug. 30 at Cincinnati (11) and Oct. 2 vs. Colorado (10)...Became the youngest pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history to strikeout 13 or more batters in a game and is the youngest pitcher in franchisehistory to strike out at least 13 since Sandy Koufax fanned 14Reds August 27, 1955 at Ebbets Field in just his second big leaguestart...Koufax was 19 years old at the time...His victory over the Mets on July 7, put him over the .500 mark forthe first time in his career...Fired a career-high 8.0 innings against the Cardinalsat Busch Stadium on July 29 and didnot allow a run on just four hits...picked up theno-decision in a game St. Louis came back towin in 15 innings...On Sept. 6, separated his non-throwing shoulderwhile shagging flies in the outfield duringbatting practice...missed nearly three weeks ofaction, before returning to the mound on Sept.22 at Washington where he tossed 2.0 scorelessinnings out of the bullpen...came backas a starter on Sept. 27 and then fired 6.0scoreless innings in his regular- season finaleon Oct. 3
2008
The Majors' youngest player went 5-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) over two stints for his big league debut...began theyear with Double-A Jacksonville, and had his contract purchased on May 24 to start the next day vs. St. Louis...later would maketwo appearances in the National League Championship Series against the Phillies...Worked a combined 169.0 innings with the Dodgers and Jacksonville, 47.0 innings more than his 2007 total of 122.0...Burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old in Spring Training (turned 20 on March 19), joining big league camp the first week inMarch...in his first appearance on March 9 vs. Boston, retired the side in the fourth inning on 10 pitches...got Mike Lowell to popout, induced J.D. Drew on a broken-bat groundout, and struck out Sean Casey looking on a knee-buckling curveball...Went 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA (19 ER/38.2 IP) in eight starts through July 1, and was optioned back to Jacksonville on July 2, a dayafter being in line for his first big league win only to see the bullpen blow a 6-4 lead...was recalled against on July 22, andremained with the Dodgers for the rest of the year...Earned his first big league win on July 27 vs. Washington, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings in the 2-0 Dodger win...The Dodgers went 13-8 in his starts...went 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA (23 ER/60.2 IP) in 11 starts at Dodger Stadium and 2-3 with a5.36 ERA (28 ER/47.0 IP) in 11 games (10 starts) on the road...was unbeaten in his final five starts, going 3-0 with a 3.58 ERA(11 ER/27.2 IP) in that span...His lone relief appearance was on Sept. 28 at San Francisco...tossed a scoreless inning despite allowing two hits and a walk(intentional)...With Jacksonville, went 2-3 with a 1.91 ERA in 13 games (11 starts)...was named the No. 1 prospect in the Southern Leaguefollowing the season by Baseball America...also was rated by the publication as having the SL's best fastball and best breakingball as part of the "Best Tools" survey of league manager and coaches...On May 25 vs. St. Louis, became the fourth-youngest starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history at 20 years, 65 days...in thatdebut game, fired 6.0 innings of two-run ball in the Dodgers' 10-inning 4-3 win...on June 10 at San Diego, opposed GregMaddux for the second largest age gap (21 years, 340 days) between opposing starters in 2008...Florida's Andrew Miller was 22years, 184 days younger than Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer when they opposed each another on June 1 (Source: Elias)...worked acareer-high 7.0 innings on two occasions: August 7 at St.Louis and September 2 vs. San Diego...struck out a careerhigheight batters on Aug. 12 vs. Philadelphia...Was on the Dodgers' NLDS roster against the Cubs, butdid not appear in a game...made two appearances in theNLCS against Philadelphia, allowing a run in 2.0 inningsof work
2007
Went 8-7 with a 2.95 ERA in a combined 25 starts with Single-AGreat Lakes and Double-A Jacksonville...went 7-5 with a 2.77 ERAin 20 starts with Great Lakes before being promoted to Jacksonvilleon Aug. 7...went 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA in five starts with Jacksonville...Was rated by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in the Dodger organization and in the Midwest League following the season...was voted as having the best fastball in the Dodger chain in Baseball America's annual "Best Tools" survey of league managersand coaches...Was a mid-season ML All-Star and participated in the XM Radio All-Star Futures games in San Francisco...was the winning pitcherfor the East All-Stars in the ML's Mid-Summer Classic...Limited the opposition to a .201 average, the fifth-lowest average in all of minor league baseball (.203 with Great Lakes and .193with Jacksonville)...limited left-handed hitters to a .157 average (16-for-102) at both stops...Struck out 134 batters in 97.1 innings with Great Lakes, and fanned 29 in 24.2 innings with Jacksonville...combined for an averageof 12.02 strikeouts per nine innings...ranked fifth in the ML in strikeouts...Participated in the inaugural Dodgers' Winter Development Program in January 2008
2006
In his first pro season, went 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA in 10 games (eightstarts) with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers...Was ranked by Baseball America the Dodgers' No. 2 prospect afterthe season...was ranked by Baseball Prospectus as the club's No. 1prospect...was voted as having the best fastball and the best controlin the Dodger chain in Baseball America's annual "Best Tools" surveyof league managers and coaches...Was selected as the 2006 Topps Minor League Player of the Year forthe GCL...ranked third in the league with 54 strikeouts...struck out10 in 5.0 innings on July 29 at GCL Nationals and fanned 11 in 6.0
