Clayton Kershaw records 200th career win: What the milestone means for the Dodgers great

June 05, 2024

Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw recorded his 200th career win Tuesday night in a 5-0 decision over the New York Mets. Here’s what you need to know:

Kershaw tossed seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, allowing just three hits in a 105-pitch outing.
He becomes the third pitcher in franchise history to reach the milestone, ranking third all-time in wins behind Don Sutton (233) and Don Drysdale (209).
With his ninth and final strikeout of the night, Kershaw also moved to No. 22 on MLB’s all-time strikeout list (2,833).

Clayton Kershaw with an emphatic yell after his ninth strikeout of the night 🗣️

He’s going for his 200th career win.

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— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) April 19, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What the milestone means for Kershaw

Only two other men, Drysdale and Sutton, had crossed the 200-win milestone while donning a Dodger uniform before Kershaw reached the mark on Tuesday night.

Only Sutton has appeared in as many seasons for the Dodgers as Kershaw, who already has the franchise mark in strikeouts.

In a franchise renowned for its pitching prowess, it’s Kershaw who finds himself at or near the top of all the record books. That means a lot and signifies the singular impact the left-hander has had on this franchise. This accolade, Kershaw said, meant more due to the credit he gave to the successful Dodger clubs who helped get him there.

“The goal is to win,” he said. “That’s why tonight is really cool. Because it’s a team stat, a win. So for me to be able to do that 200 times, is just a product of being on some great teams. That’s why I really like tonight and that’s pretty cool.

“As far as reflecting, I’m not the greatest at that, either. But being able to think back about the different groups of guys that I’ve played with, the different division titles that we’ve won, the different regular seasons and all these things, to be able to have this many wins is just a byproduct of all those people that I got to play with. Once again, thankful to be part of this organization, really. That’s all tonight comes down to.”

It’s why, when Kershaw set the franchise strikeout record last season, manager Dave Roberts called him “one of the greatest Dodgers ever to put on a Dodger uniform” to go with a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP.

“At some point, we all have to answer the bell, whether you’ve played for two weeks or you’ve played for years,” pitching coach Mark Prior said of Kershaw last year.

“I think he kind of understands where he’s at, and I think he knows that he’s probably on the shorter end of it — at least that’s the sense I get. … He’s trying not to let the little things bug him the way they have in the past. He’s more focused on the big things and being ready to go out and pitch.”

As Kershaw sat in the dugout, his night complete, he looked over to his wife, Ellen, and two of his four kids seated behind home plate. He caught their attention, blew them a kiss and said “I love you,” just minutes after channeling his fire and competitive edge like he always has.

“It’s really, really special to have them here and be able to see it,” Kershaw said of having his wife and two oldest kids in attendance. — Ardaya

How the Dodgers celebrated

In the days leading up to Kershaw’s milestone, his wife, Ellen, pondered if she and the couple’s four kids should stay out in Los Angeles rather than head back to their home just outside of Dallas.

“I told her that it’s not a guarantee,” he deadpanned. “But she stayed, which I’m thankful for.”

The reception that waited was worth it and showed through in the emotion that charged all the way through to his 105th and final pitch, letting out a roar coming off the mound after a draining seventh inning.

“I think he really wanted it,” his catcher, Austin Barnes said.

After the game, Barnes and Freddie Freeman put together a champagne toast, each expressing their gratitude for being a part of history alongside the Hall of Famer, stuff that “made me uncomfortable,” Kershaw said.

“The way he goes about his business and like I said, set the tone for this organization,” Barnes said. “He’s helped so many careers. without even probably knowing he has. Sometimes you gotta let those guys know.”

He hasn’t gotten better at accepting praise — “Sure haven’t,” he said with a smile — but has let his guard down to absorb the moment and nights like Tuesday.

“You’ve got four kids, and you start to kind of, all the experiences pile up,” Roberts said. “I think that your scope and lens widens and broadens and you understand, Clayton understands, you’re still not giving up anything as far as that edge but his receptiveness to a lot of different things I think has helped him maintain his greatness over the course of the last call it four or five years of his career.” — Ardaya

What else they’re saying

“It’s hard to imagine the company that he’s in,” Roberts said after Tuesday’s game. “It took a lot of hard work, and for us to be a part of it and watch it happen in real-time is really special. Certainly, it’s individual in the sense that it’s 200 wins, something that very few have ever achieved or will ever achieve.”

“200 wins is so many wins,” Barnes said. “He’s a special pitcher. He’s not even really that old, but he’s been doing it for a long time.”

“(Kershaw) has good stuff, he locates well and he’s very mature in his sequencing, reading hitters’ swings. You combine all of that and you get the pitcher that he is,” said Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo. “There’s a reason he’s going to be a Hall of Famer, a reason he’s still in the game.”

Backstory

Kershaw, 35, has spent his entire 16-year MLB career with the Dodgers. The three-time Cy Young winner posted a 12-3 record with a 2.28 ERA across 22 starts last season to earn his ninth career All-Star nod. His career record now sits at 200-88.

After Tuesday’s performance, Kershaw is one of five pitchers with at least 65 starts of seven-plus innings pitched and three or fewer hits allowed, according to MLB’s Sarah Langs. The four others are Nolan Ryan (134), Roger Clemens (80), Randy Johnson (78) and Tom Seaver (66).

Required reading

(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)

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