Clayton Kershaw
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 22
Starting pitcher
Born: (1988-03-19) March 19, 1988 (age 24) Dallas, Texas
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 25, 2008 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Career statistics (through May 16, 2012)
Win-Loss	51–29
Earned run average	2.80
Strikeouts	796
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (2008–present)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (2011) NL Cy Young Award (2011) Gold Glove Award (2011) NL TSN Pitcher of the Year (2011) National League Triple Crown (2011) National League Strikeout Champion (2011) MLB ERA Champion (2011)

Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is a left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball.

Kershaw was drafted 7th overall in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. He worked his way through the Dodgers' farm system in just one full season and reached the majors at the age of 20 years old. When he debuted in 2008, Kershaw was the youngest player in Major League Baseball, a title he held for one full year. In 2011, he won the Pitching Triple Crown and the National League Cy Young Award, becoming the youngest pitcher to accomplish either of these feats since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

Being a left-handed strikeout pitcher and playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kershaw has often been compared to Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax.^[1][2][3]

Early life[link]

Kershaw attended Highland Park High School, where he established himself as an elite high school prospect in 2006 when he posted a 13–0 record with an ERA of 0.77, and recorded 139 strikeouts in 64 innings. In a playoff game against Justin Northwest High School, Kershaw pitched an all-strikeout perfect game. He was selected by USA Today as "High School Baseball Player of the Year", and was also the Gatorade National Player of the Year for baseball.

Entering the 2006 MLB Draft, Kershaw was considered the top high-schooler available. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Kershaw with the 7th overall pick in the draft. He turned down a scholarship at Texas A&M to sign with the Dodgers, with a bonus estimated at $2.3 million. The $2.3 million bonus was the largest to any Dodgers amateur at the time, which was eventually topped by Zach Lee in the 2010 MLB Draft.

Minor league career[link]

Kershaw continued to show dominance with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers. He pitched in 37 innings in which he struck out 54 batters (walking only 5), while compiling a record of 2–0 with a 1.95 ERA. He featured a 93–94 mph fastball (topping out at 96 mph). He was rated as the No.1 prospect in the GCL, and the Dodgers' No. 2 prospect by Baseball America behind third basemen Andy LaRoche.

In two starts in 2006, he fanned 21 batters in 11 innings from July 29-August 3.

Kershaw entered the 2007 season as the top prospect in the Dodgers' system, according to Baseball America. That year, for the Great Lakes Loons, Kershaw recorded a record of 7–5 with a 2.77 earned run average and was selected to play on the East Team in the Midwest League All Star Game. He also was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game for the USA Team. On August 6, he was promoted to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns in the Southern League,^[4] where he produced a 1–2 record and 3.65 ERA in 5 starts.

During spring training in a game against the Boston Red Sox, Kershaw gained much attention for throwing a remarkable 1:7 curveball to Sean Casey that started behind Casey but at the end looped into the strike zone and struck him out looking, which announcer Vin Scully dubbed "Public Enemy No. 1."^[5] Kershaw was 0–3 and had a 2.28 ERA with 47 strikeouts through 43.1 innings pitched in his first stint of the year with the Jacksonville Suns. He was then called up to the majors, but optioned back to Jacksonville on July 2, 2008.

Kershaw pitched 18 innings during his second trip to Jacksonville (two starts and one 7-inning relief appearance), winning two games. During this stretch, he allowed only 2 runs earned runs, lowering his ERA to 1.91. He was recalled on July 22.

Major league career[link]

Los Angeles Dodgers[link]

Kershaw at spring training in Florida in 2008.

2008 season[link]

On May 24, 2008, Kershaw's minor league contract was purchased by the Dodgers, and he was added to the active roster. Tony Jackson, a well-respected beat writer for the Dodgers, called Kershaw's debut the most anticipated start by a Dodgers pitcher since Hideo Nomo debut in 1995.^[6] He made his debut on May 25, starting against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched six innings, allowed two runs and recorded seven strikeouts. When he debuted, Kershaw was the youngest player in Major League Baseball, a title he held for one full year. The following week, during an interview with Eric Karros, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said Kershaw had "unhittable stuff".^[7]

Kershaw won his first major league game against the Washington Nationals on July 27, 2008. He pitched six-plus shutout innings, allowing four hits, a walk, and struck out five. Kershaw finished his rookie season 5-5, with a 4.26 ERA in 22 games (21 starts).

2009 season[link]

On April 15, 2009, Kershaw pitched 7 innings, striking out 13 batters while allowing only one hit (solo HR) against the rival San Francisco Giants. On May 17, 2009, Kershaw had a no-hitter against the Florida Marlins through 7 innings, then gave up a lead-off double to Florida's Cody Ross. Due to second half struggles from Chad Billingsley and injuries to Hiroki Kuroda, Kershaw became the de facto ace for the Dodgers at the age of 21. He responded by posting a 2.27 ERA in the second half of the season.

In 2009, despite an 8–8 record, he led the major leagues in opposing batting average (.200), opposing slugging percentage (.282), and hits per nine innings (6.26). He also posted an ERA of 2.79 and 185 strikeouts. Kershaw also walked 91 batters, which was second most in the National League.

He made his playoff starting debut against the St. Louis Cardinals and Adam Wainwright in the 2009 National League Division Series. He went 6.2 IP, striking out 4, walking 1, and ended up getting a no-decision (Dodgers went on to win the game in the 9th inning). At 21 years old, he was the youngest pitcher to start a playoff game since Rick Ankiel did so in 2000 at the age of 20.

2010 season[link]

Coming off of back-to-back National League Championship Series, the Dodgers and Kershaw had hefty expectations coming into 2010. Kershaw started the season to mixed reviews. In April, he posted a 3.07 ERA, but did so by walking 22 batters in 29 innings. On May 4, Kershaw had his worst start of his career against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw threw 57 pitches in just 1 1/3 innings and retired only four of the 13 batters he faced—including the pitcher and was booed loudly upon being pulled from the game. Kershaw said after the game, "I didn't give our team any kind of chance. It's just not a good feeling to let your teammates down, let everybody down. It stings, it hurts. I've got to figure things out." ^[8]

Kershaw rebounded his next start by pitching an 8 inning two-hitter and out-dueling the then undefeated Ubaldo Jiménez. He went on to go 11-7 with a 2.68 ERA for the remainder of the season. Kershaw credited his control of the slider being the major turning point for him.^[9] Later in the season, he was suspended for five games after hitting Aaron Rowand of the rival San Francisco Giants with a pitch in a game on July 20. The incident occurred after both teams were given a warning following Giants ace Tim Lincecum hitting Matt Kemp earlier in the game. He threw his first career complete game shutout on September 14, also against San Francisco. He finished the season with a record of 13–10 and a 2.91 ERA in 32 starts, pitching a career best 204.1 innings and recording 212 strikeouts.

2011 season[link]

On February 16, 2011 the Dodgers named Kershaw as the Opening Day Starter for the 2011 season. On May 29, he pitched the second complete-game shutout of his career, striking out 10 while winning a two-hitter against the Florida Marlins, 8–0; he also had two singles and an RBI, scoring twice, in the game. Kershaw produced his third career shutout on June 20, a two-hit, 11 strikeout effort against the Detroit Tigers. This game was of significance because Kershaw became the first Dodgers starter to strike out the side in the 9th inning since Sandy Koufax's perfect game.^[10] In his next start, on June 26, Kershaw pitched another complete game (against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He became the first Dodger starter to have back-to-back complete game victories since Jeff Weaver in 2005 and the first Dodger to have double digit strikeouts in consecutive starts since Chan-Ho Park in 2000. He was awarded the National League Player of the Week award for the week of June 20–26 as a result of those two starts.^[11]

Kershaw pitching to Chipper Jones in the 8th inning on Brooklyn Dodgers throwback day in 2011

He was selected to the National League squad for the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, his first all-star selection. In the month of July, Kershaw was 4–1 with a 2.02 ERA and NL leading 45 strikeouts, earning him the National League Pitcher of the Month Award. On August 19, Kershaw recorded his 15th win of a season, taking him above his previous high of 14 wins, in a 5–1 victory over the Brewers. On August 23, he stuck out Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals for his 200th strikeout of the season. He became the 10th Dodger pitcher to record back-to-back 200 strikeout seasons and the first since Chan-Ho Park in 2001.^[12] He also picked up his 16th win in that game, the most wins by a Dodger left-handed pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela won 21 in 1986.^[13] On September 20, 2011, Kershaw won his 20th game by defeating the San Francisco Giants 2–1. He became the first Dodgers pitcher to go 5–0 against the Giants in a season since Vic Lombardi in 1946, beating two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum four times. The scores to those games were 2-1, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1, with Kershaw allowing 1 earned run and Lincecum allowing three in those four starts. Kershaw and Lincecum matching up four times, evoked fans of both teams memories of the days Sandy Koufax and Juan Marichal traded zeroes in the 1960s.^[14] The two appeared together on the Sports Illustrated 2012 baseball preview magazine.

Kershaw finished the 2011 season with 21 wins, 248 strikeouts, and a 2.28 ERA, winning the NL pitching Triple Crown, the first Triple Crown winner since Jake Peavy in 2007 and the first Dodger since Sandy Koufax won it in 1966.^[15] The Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander won the AL Triple Crown the same season, marking the first major-league season since 1924 to feature Triple Crown-winning pitchers in both leagues. Kershaw's 21 wins were the most by a Dodger pitcher since Orel Hershiser won 23 in 1988. His ERA was the lowest by a Dodger since Hershiser's 2.03 in 1985, his strikeouts were the most by a Dodger since Sandy Koufax's 317 in 1966 and his 233 1/3 innings pitched were the most since Chan Ho Park pitched 234 in 2001.^[16] Since 1965 when Sandy Koufax did it, Jake Peavy in 2007 and Kershaw in 2011 are only two pitchers in the National League have led the league in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.^[15] Additionally, since 1969, only three pitchers had a second-half ERA as good as Kershaw’s 1.31, according to the Elias Sports Bureau: Roger Clemens (0.97 in 1990), Tom Seaver (1.10 in 1971) and Johan Santana (1.21 in 2004). Kershaw also became just the second lefthander to get 240-plus strikeouts in a season before the age of 24 joining Vida Blue.^[15]

After the season, Kershaw was awarded the Warren Spahn Award as the best left-handed pitcher in 2011, the USA Today National League Cy Young, the Players Choice Award for Most Outstanding National League pitcher, the Gold Glove Award as the top fielding pitcher in the NL and the NL TSN Pitcher of the Year. He was additionally selected as the starting pitcher for the Sporting News NL All-Star Team.^[17] On November 17, he was honored with the National League Cy Young Award, making him the youngest Cy Young winner since Dwight Gooden in 1985. He was the 8th Dodger pitcher to the win the award, the first since Eric Gagné in 2003.^[18]

2012 season[link]

On February 7, 2012 Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a two-year $19 million contract, the second highest for a player in his first year of arbitration (after Tim Lincecum's $23 million 2 year contract in 2010).^[19]

Kershaw was the Dodgers' opening day starter for the second year in a row, where he pitched 3 innings of shutout ball against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park before being removed from the game due to flu-like symptoms. ^[20] On April 27th, he was able to last through eight innings for his second win of the season against the Washington Nationals. The win was also his 12th straight home win, tying him with Ed Roebuck (June 1960 - August 1962) and Orel Hershiser (September 1984 - October 1985) for the longest home winning streak since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. ^[21] Kershaw won the National League's Player of the Week Award for the week of May 14-20 after he made two starts during that week and pitched 16 scoreless innings, including his fourth career shutout.^[22]

Pitching style[link]

Kershaw pitching style is unique in that he has a high leg kick. The leg kick helps him generate power off his four-seam fastball and adds a dimension of deception on batters. Out of the stretch, he uses a slide step as it makes it difficult for the base runner at first base to get a read on him. Kershaw also keeps the ball hidden well. He never gives the batter a clean look at the ball until one or two frames before the release, which makes his release point much tougher to pick up.^[23] He has stated many times that he has modeled his pitching mechanics after his favorite pitcher growing up, Roger Clemens.^[24] Earlier in his career, Kershaw had problems with his front shoulder flying open and repeating his delivery, that caused him to lose his release point making his control spotty. Since the middle of the 2010 season, his control improved so dramatically that it isn't seen as a weakness anymore. In 2009, he walked 4.8 batters per 9 compared to 2011, where he only walked 2.1 batters per 9.

Kershaw pitch repertoire includes a four-seam fastball that sits anywhere from 93–97 with cut and late movement, a two-seam fastball with natural cut at 91–93 mph, a slider, a 12–6 curveball, a hard curveball and a circle changeup. His slider and both curveballs are considered plus pitches for him, most notably the slider, which registered as one of the top off-speed offerings in 2011.^[25] Kershaw is a strikeout pitcher, having a career average of one strikeout for every inning pitched. He is also known for having one of the better pickoff moves to first base^[26] and is considered one of the better defensive pitchers in baseball.^[27] When he's on his game, Kershaw allows very few base runners, strikes out batters at a high rate, records outs mostly by infield pop-ups or ground balls, and when batters try to bunt, he usually fields his position exceptionally well. A testament to this was in 2011, where Kershaw led the National League in WHIP and strikeouts and won Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

After a spring training game in 2012, newly acquired Dodgers catcher Matt Treanor discussed Kershaw's pitching style:

"He's a different type of competitor. He doesn't need anyone out there telling him what to do, so I try to limit how much I try to get him to do something. As far as his stuff is concerned, I don't think I've caught anybody like him. He's got that pause, he mixes up his moves, he fields his position really well, he locates well. He does everything above average. You'd think he's been around longer, but he's only 24."^[28]

Awards and Accomplishments[link]

Personal life[link]

Kershaw is the great-nephew of the discoverer of Pluto, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.^[29]

He is a Methodist with strong religious faith.^[30][31]

On December 4, 2010, Kershaw married his girlfriend of seven years, Ellen Melson.

Kershaw grew up and attended school with Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.^[32] He also grew up with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim closer Jordan Walden^[33] and former Baylor University star and current Dodgers top relief prospect Shawn Tolleson.^[34]

Volunteer work[link]

Prior to the 2011 season, Kershaw visited Zambia with his wife as part of a Christian mission organized by Dallas-based Arise Africa. After the trip, Kershaw announced his dream of building an orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia, which he called "Hope's Home" after 11-year-old Hope, an HIV-positive child Kershaw met while in Zambia. To accomplish his goal, Kershaw pledged a donation of $100 per strikeout recorded in 2011. With Kershaw's career high of 248 strikeouts thrown during the 2011 season, he donated $492,300 towards his $70,000 goal. When Kershaw won the 2011 Players Choice Award, he donated $260,000 to Hope's Home. He and his wife will be returning to Zambia in 2012.^[35]

Kershaw will donate $100 for every strikeout in the 2012 season to Kershaw's Challenge, calling this season's incarnation of the project "Strike Out To Serve." Kershaw had a similar program in 2011, and also donated a portion of monetary bonuses he received for the many awards he won last year. Seventy percent of the money raised in 2012 will go to Arise Africa, with 10 percent each going to the Peacock Foundation in Los Angeles, Mercy Street in Dallas, and I Am Second.

Author[link]

On November 17, 2011, Regal Books announced that they will be publishing a book co-authored by Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, named Arise. In Arise, Clayton and Ellen tell their story so far—from meeting in junior high school in Texas, to eye-opening visits in Africa. The book was released on January 5, 2012, just days after the Kershaw's returned from a trip to Zambia and about a month before major league pitchers report for Spring training.^[35]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• USA Today All-USA high school baseball team

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Minor League Baseball bio