It was only appropriate that Clayton Kershaw was the winning pitcher on the day the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West by beating the San Francisco Giants.
Clayton Kershaw
#22 SP
Los Angeles Dodgers
2014 STATS
- GM27
W21
L3
BB31
K239
- ERA1.77
Kershaw was triply dominant, winning with his arm (one run in eight innings), his glove (helping his NL-best Defensive Runs Saved total with a behind-the-back play) and his bat (hitting his first career triple).
No one has been more dominant on the mound this season. In fact, no one has been this good in quite some time.
Without further ado and with the help of the Elias Sports Bureau, here are five fun Kershaw tidbits to ponder as his regular season comes to an end.
Kershaw is the first pitcher to win 21 starts within 27 games in a season in 134 years. The only other pitcher to do that was Fred Goldsmith of the 1880 Chicago White Stockings (who became the Cubs). Goldsmith finished 21-3 that season. No one else would go exactly 21-3 in a season until Max Scherzer did so last season and Kershaw did so in 2014.
Kershaw finishes with a 1.77 ERA. He will become the first pitcher to lead the major leagues in ERA in four straight seasons.
Kershaw will join Ron Guidry of the 1978 New York Yankees as the only pitchers in the modern era with 20 or more wins, a sub-1.80 ERA and a win pct of .875 or better.
Kershaw has had two winning streaks of seven or longer this season. The only other pitcher to do that in the divisional era (since 1969) is Justin Verlander of the 2011 Detroit Tigers.
Kershaw will be the leading contender to win the NL MVP this season. Only three pitchers have won the NL MVP since the end of World War II-- Don Newcombe in 1956, Sandy Koufax in 1963 and Bob Gibson in 1968.
Next stop for Kershaw: the postseason.