Los Angeles Dodgers Star Clayton Kershaw Closing in on 3,000 Career Strikeouts

Clayton Kershaw, who already has a jam-packed Hall of Fame resume, is poised to make history.

The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace enters his start against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday with 2,997 career strikeouts. That leaves him just three punchouts away from becoming the 20th MLB pitcher ever to reach 3,000.

The last pitcher to join the club was Max Scherzer, who did so in 2021, also in a Dodgers uniform. CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander reached the milestone in 2019, over a decade after John Smoltz.

Kershaw finished the 2019 season with 2,464 strikeouts, leading the league three times and maxing out with 301 in 2015. Between 2009 and 2019, the southpaw averaged 215 strikeouts a year.

At that pace, Kershaw would have reached 3,000 in 2022. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a shortened 2020 campaign, while Kershaw averaged just 23 starts a year between 2021 and 2023 due to injuries.

Kershaw was limited to seven starts in 2024 and he has only made eight so far in 2025. His 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings from 2008 to 2023 have also dropped to 6.9 over the past two seasons.

The three-time Cy Young is 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.190 WHIP and 0.6 WAR this year, proving he can still pitch at a high level at age 37.

First pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.