USA TODAY International Edition
Kershaw’s start simply sublime
Dodgers ace delivers more greatness
Clayton Kershaw’s evolution can’t be measured simply by the physical characteristics that make him the greatest pitcher on the planet — be it his mastery of four pitches instead of two or his enhanced command of the strike zone or the conviction to throw any pitch in any count or situation.
There’s also the evolution of perception and the company he keeps among peers — a dwindling, possibly non- existent group — and the game’s all- time greats.
For Kershaw, dominance has become the norm, the absurd occurs with greater frequency and his achievements frequent- ly must be put in a greater context.
The ninth full season for the Los Angeles Dodgers 28- yearold ace is shaping up to be his greatest, as Kershaw’s statistical dossier one- third of the way through makes a fourth Cy Young Award seem inevitable
and a second MVP honor a distinct possibility.
Kershaw has struck out 105 and walked five, an unprecedented ratio for a pitcher with more than 100 strikeouts. His walks and hits per inning ( 0.65) would break the WHIP record of 0.74, set by Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in 2000. His 334- strikeout pace would mark the most punchouts in a season since Hall of Famer Randy Johnson fanned that many in 2002.
And his 7- 1 record and 1.56 ERA put those career marks at 121- 57 and 2.39, the latter the lowest career ERA since 1920 for a pitcher with at least 1,500 innings.
So while Kershaw’s present is tantalizing enough, his utter command of his craft has teammates and even rivals wondering: How high can he go?
“I hope he does it for 10 more years,” said St. Louis Cardinals right- hander Adam Wainwright, who made his debut in 2005 and has four top- three Cy Young finishes. “Even though he’s a competitor and even though he’s clipped me in the Cy Young several times, I want him to be one of the all- time greats. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this before. He’s in my mind the best pitcher in this window of time I’ve been in the big leagues.”
That span includes aces such as Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer, Roy Halladay and Justin Verlander, who in 2011 became the first starting pitcher to win an MVP award since 1992.
Kershaw won the NL MVP Award in 2014, when a back injury limited him to 27 starts yet he still went 21- 3, struck out 239 and posted a 1.77 ERA. He also produced 7.5 Wins Above Replacement, or 16% of the Dodgers’ team total of 46 WAR.
This year, he’s already produced 3.4 WAR, or 28% of the Dodgers’ 12.2.
Among pitchers, only the New York Giants’ Carl Hubbell, in 1933 and ’ 36, has won multiple NL MVPs. Kershaw figures to make about 22 more starts, so plenty can happen. But the Dodgers, who likely will trot out at least a dozen starting pitchers by season’s end, don’t shy away from discussing Kershaw’s value.
“There’s an unmeasurable quality that he brings to a clubhouse on the day he pitches,” catcher A. J. Ellis said. “The aura is looser. The expectation of a win is in the air. Guys raise their game because they know he’s risen his game. A lot of our best performances seem to be when he is on the mound. What he does for our bullpen — his ability to go deep into games, to give those guys a much- needed day off — it’s hard to measure that value. But we feel it in here.”
Kershaw capped one of the greatest months of his career Sunday by striking out 10 New York Mets — and walking none, of course — over 72⁄ innings, giving him a 0.91 ERA and a 65- 2 strikeout- to- walk ratio during a May in which he won five games, three by shutout. But he did not get the victory. Manager Dave Roberts removed Kershaw after 114 pitches, hoping the bullpen could register four outs. Instead, lefthanded reliever Adam Liberatore coughed up the lead immediately, giving up a tying double to Curtis Granderson.
The Dodgers rallied for a 4- 2 win, maintaining a season- long trend: They are 10- 1 in games Kershaw starts, 17- 23 when anyone else does.
“A luxury is an understatement,” Roberts, the rookie manager, said of handing Kershaw the ball. “And I think every time he takes the mound, when you’re looking at penciling in 10 to 12 strikeouts, eight innings, the ’ pen’s going to get rested. It’s something we don’t take for granted around here.”
Kershaw doesn’t, either. He was elusive when pressed Sunday to put his May mauling of the opposition into context; as Ellis notes, the dominant periods become harder to tell apart: “It’s not like you can even call them stretches anymore. It’s just big … eras.”
But Kershaw’s performance showcased a dominant arm at the height of his powers. He still pitches off a fastball that touches 94 mph, but he doesn’t hesitate to wipe out batters with his devastating slider and 70- mph curveball. Kershaw went to three- ball counts on three occasions, escaping two of them by striking out Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker on full- count sliders out of the strike zone.
“It takes time,” Kershaw said. “It’s definitely nice to have two pitches you feel like you can throw any time. The curveball I also feel I can throw, but maybe not as much behind in the count. It comes with time, and you get more confident with it as you throw it more.”
Walker, the Mets second baseman, said Kershaw has gone from a “two- pitch to a four- pitch pitcher and all are plus- plus” offerings.
Kershaw’s sublime ratio statistics illustrate hitters’ unenviable plight.
“He’s not going to walk you, but he has the ability to punch you out — that puts doubt in a hitter’s mind,” Walker said. “If he gets way behind ( in the count), he’s still not afraid to attack you, because he feels like he still has a chance to get you out.”
Said Scherzer, who struck out 20 on May 11: “He’s literally dominating the game right now. He’s able to locate his slider and curveball well, and those pitches are absolutely swing- and- miss. He does a great job of creating deception and life on all his pitches. It just makes him unhittable.”
No longer is it blasphemy in Los Angeles to put Kershaw’s name in the same sentence as Sandy Koufax, who won three Cy Young awards and 165 games and finished his career leading the NL in ERA five consecutive seasons.
Kershaw hasn’t reached those heights and might never do it. But the Dodgers aren’t about to suggest a ceiling exists.
“The way he’s going, who knows? He may be the best pitcher who ever pitched in this game,” closer Kenley Jansen said. “He’s been showing for six and seven years in a row how easy he makes the game look.”
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this before. He’s in my mind the best pitcher in this window of time I’ve been in the big leagues.” Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who made his major league debut in 2005