Clayton Kershaw's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Clayton Kershaw.

Clayton Kershaw, a former MLB pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is considered one of baseball's greatest pitchers. A left-handed starting pitcher, Kershaw was an 11-time National League All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2014 NL MVP. He is a member of the 3,000 strikeout club. He played for 18 seasons and is well-regarded in baseball history.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1929: Lefty Grove Leads in ERA

In 1929, Lefty Grove began his streak of leading the major leagues in ERA, continuing through 1931.

1930: Dazzy Vance's Strikeout Games

In 1930, Dazzy Vance had back-to-back games of double-digit strikeouts and no walks.

April 14, 1953: Bob Lemon's Opening Day Feat

On April 14, 1953, Bob Lemon of the Cleveland Indians achieved a rare feat against the Chicago White Sox: he threw a shutout and hit a home run on opening day.

1953: Carl Erskine's World Series Strikeouts

In 1953, Carl Erskine recorded 14 strikeouts in a World Series game.

1963: Sandy Koufax's World Series Strikeouts

In 1963, Sandy Koufax recorded 15 strikeouts in a World Series game.

1968: Bob Gibson's NL MVP Award

In 1968, Bob Gibson was the last National League pitcher to win the MVP award before Kershaw.

1973: Andy Messersmith's Dodger Record

In 1973, Andy Messersmith held the Dodger record for striking out the first batters in a game.

1988: Kirk Gibson's NL MVP Award

In 1988, Kirk Gibson was the last Dodgers player to win the MVP award before Kershaw.

1988: Dodgers' World Series Win

In 2020, the Dodgers defeated the Rays in six games to win their first World Series championship since 1988.

1988: Tim Belcher's Postseason Strikeout Record

In the second game of the 1988 World Series, Tim Belcher set an MLB postseason record for consecutive strikeouts.

1993: Greg Maddux Leads in ERA

In 1993, Greg Maddux began his streak of leading the major leagues in ERA, continuing through 1995.

1995: Hideo Nomo's Strikeout Season

In the 1995 season, Hideo Nomo reached 200 strikeouts in 156 innings.

2000: Chan Ho Park's Strikeout Games

In 2000, Chan Ho Park had back-to-back games of at least 13 strikeouts as a Dodgers starter.

2000: Pedro Martínez's Low ERA

In the 2000 season, Pedro Martínez recorded the lowest ERA since then.

2002: Randy Johnson's Strikeout Season

In 2002, Randy Johnson was the last player to strike out 300 batters in a season before Kershaw.

2003: Odalis Pérez's High Pitch Count

In the 2003 season, Odalis Pérez threw the most pitches by a Dodger pitcher with 130 pitches in a game.

2005: Roger Clemens' Sub-2.00 ERA

In the 2005 season, Roger Clemens achieved a sub-2.00 ERA.

2010: Cliff Lee's Low Walk Total

In the 2010 season, Cliff Lee walked seven batters while reaching 100 strikeouts.

2011: Leads MLB in ERA

In 2011, Clayton Kershaw was the first pitcher to lead the MLB in earned run average (ERA) in four consecutive years.

2011: Kershaw Wins Pitching Triple Crown and Cy Young Award

In 2011, Clayton Kershaw won the pitching Triple Crown and the National League Cy Young Award, becoming the youngest pitcher to achieve either since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

2011: Wins NL Pitching Triple Crown

Kershaw finished the 2011 season by leading the NL with 21 wins, 248 strikeouts, and a 2.28 ERA, winning the NL pitching Triple Crown.

2013: Third Straight Opening Day Start and Complete Game Shutout

In 2013, Clayton Kershaw made his third consecutive opening day start for the Dodgers, a feat not achieved by a Dodger starter since Derek Lowe (2005-2007). Kershaw pitched a complete game, four-hit, 4-0 shutout against the Giants, hitting his first career home run and scoring the game's first run.

2013: Warren Spahn Award and Cy Young Award

In 2013, Kershaw won the Warren Spahn Award for the second time, honoring the best left-handed pitcher in the MLB. He also won the NL Cy Young Award for the second time in three seasons.

June 18, 2014: Kershaw Pitches a No-Hitter

On June 18, 2014, Clayton Kershaw pitched a no-hitter game.

2014: Fourth Consecutive ERA Title

In 2014, Clayton Kershaw marked his fourth consecutive year leading the MLB in earned run average (ERA).

2014: Kershaw Wins NL MVP

In 2014, Clayton Kershaw was named the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP).

2014: Fourth Straight Opening Day Start and No-Hitter

In 2014, Kershaw made his fourth consecutive opening day start for the Dodgers, in a game played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia. On June 18, he pitched a complete game no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies with 15 strikeouts. In June, he was awarded his third career Pitcher of the Month award.

2015: Fifth Consecutive Opening Day Start

In 2015, Kershaw made his fifth consecutive opening day start, the first Dodgers pitcher to do so since Don Sutton (1972-1978). Kershaw also recorded his 1,500th career strikeout on May 10 and his 100th career win on May 15. He won his sixth career NL Player of the Week award for the week of June 1–7.

2016: Sixth Straight Opening Day Start and Complete Game Shutout

In 2016, Kershaw made his sixth straight opening day start as the Dodgers won 15-0, marking the first time the Dodgers had won six straight opening-day games, all started by him. On May 12, he struck out 13 while pitching a three-hit complete-game shutout against the New York Mets.

2020: Kershaw's 2020 Season

In 2020, Kershaw started 10 games for the Dodgers, achieving a 6–2 record, a 2.16 ERA, and 62 strikeouts. On August 20, 2020, he surpassed Don Drysdale to claim the second-most strikeouts in franchise history. He also started games in the Wild Card Series and NLDS, contributing to the Dodgers' eventual World Series win. In the World Series, he started Games 1 and 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays and after the season, Kershaw was named to the All-MLB Second Team.

2020: World Series Win

In 2020, Kershaw was on the roster of the World Series-winning team.

2024: Received Ring From the World Series-winning Team

In 2024, Kershaw received a World Series ring. He missed the postseason due to injury.

February 13, 2025: Kershaw Re-Signs with Dodgers

On February 13, 2025, Kershaw re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $7.5 million contract, including roster and game-started bonuses. This marked his 18th season with the Dodgers, matching the longest for any player in franchise history.