When Clayton Kershaw made his major league debut as a gangly 20-year-old with a devastating curveball, he was considered a one in a million talent.
On Wednesday he entered a much smaller club, becoming the 20th pitcher in history to strike out 3,000 batters. The milestone came in the sixth inning on his 100th pitch of the night, a 1-and-2 slider to the Chicago White Sox’ Vinny Capra for a called strike.
Kershaw then walked off the mound alone before being mobbed by his teammates on the warning track in front of the Dodgers dugout.