Clayton Kershaw

Sutton, a Hall of Famer who died in January 2021, last pitched for the Dodgers in 1988 and had reigned as the franchise's strikeout leader since 1979. He ...

I'm glad that I've had a good start to the season, but I have a long way to go." I wanna be here to contribute to a team that might win a World Series. That's what I wanna do. "I don't wanna just pitch to pitch," said Kershaw, who returned to the Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million contract. Kershaw, who didn't pitch in last year's postseason because of discomfort in his elbow and didn't pick up a baseball until January, didn't issue his first walk until his 20th inning of 2022. He recorded two more strikeouts that inning, then tipped his cap to recognize another standing ovation as he approached the third-base dugout. Sutton, a Hall of Famer who died in January 2021, last pitched for the Dodgers in 1988 and had reigned as the franchise's strikeout leader since 1979.

"I didn't expect what happened tonight, but it definitely hit me," said Kershaw, who became the Dodgers' all-time strikeout leader.

But the Dodgers brought back Kershaw not just as a remnant of a sought-after golden era of the franchise, or as a figure for fans to cling to as he checks off different organizational and professional milestones. He has become one with the franchise that raised him, climbing the leaderboards and passing titans. They need his left arm in their rotation, and Kershaw has shown himself to still be one of the game’s best when available. His fastball no longer hums at 95 mph, as it did when he blew one past St. Louis’ Skip Schumaker for the first strikeout of his career. … He’s trying not to let the little things bug him the way they have in the past. That hung with him in October. The lockout provided a respite for his arm and his mind. “He’s one of the greatest Dodgers ever to put on a Dodger uniform,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. In the midst of history Saturday, he wished his team would’ve won. He didn’t pitch in October because of an elbow issue and didn’t pick up a baseball again until January. He explored free agency for the first time in his career, only to have the lockout leave him in solitude for a lot of this winter. “I don’t want to just pitch to pitch,” Kershaw said Saturday. “It’s not a goal of mine to stick around. And Kershaw tipped his cap again, the highlight of an otherwise quiet 5-1 Dodgers loss. And when Kershaw came off the mound after two more strikeouts, the crowd rose again.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has made more history during his outstanding career. Kershaw pitched against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night ...

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Clayton Kershaw gets strikeout record but Dodgers lose to Tigers. Kershaw surpasses Don Sutton to become the franchise's all-time leader in strikeouts and ...

Brusdar Graterol replaced Phillips and walked Miguel Cabrera to load the bases then broke Austin Meadows’ bat with a first-pitch cutter. “I want to be here to contribute to a team that might win a World Series. That’s what I want to do. “I didn’t really expect it,” Kershaw said of the crowd’s reaction after the Dodgers went on to lose, 5-1, to the Detroit Tigers. “I understand that the Dodgers are a historic franchise. “The first thing I’ll say is any time you get to do something individual record-wise, the people around you to help you celebrate are what matters most,” he said. I’ll remember that for a long time, for sure.” But it was a great moment for me personally. Kershaw’s franchise record strikeout total includes 2,007 against right-handed batters and 693 against left-handers who were unable to avoid the matchup. But we’ve got a long way to go.” It continued a start that even Kershaw said he didn’t expect during a winter spent wondering if his elbow would recover enough for him to pitch again. Strike three to Torkelson drew a roar from the 52,613 fans in attendance. They’ve been around a long time so the guys on that list I was fortunate to pass, it’s a big deal. Skip Schumaker – a future teammate – was Kershaw’s first big-league strikeout victim back in May 2008.

Last night, Clayton Kershaw further cemented his place in Dodgers history. After striking out the Detroit Tigers Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning with ...