Los Angeles Dodgers: Listing 10 best games of Clayton Kershaw’s career
By Bill Felber
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers recently earned his 200th victory, moving one step closer to becoming the all-time franchise leader in victories.
Kershaw now trails only Don Sutton (233) and Don Drysdale (209) on that list. He is already No. 1 among Dodgers all-time in strikeouts, having fanned 2,833 opposing batters since arriving in the Majors in 2008.
The stat geeks absolutely adore Kershaw. He ranks first all-time among Dodgers in a host of next-level categories, among them: Adjusted Pitching Wins, Base-Out Runs Saved, Win Probability Added, and Situation Wins Saved.
Those are a few of the reasons why many contend that Kershaw is a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he hangs them up.
In recognition of that 200th win, here’s a look at the 15 best-pitched games of the Dodgers’ left-handed ace, including 10 in the regular season and five in the postseason.
Our standard of measurement is Win Probability Added. That calculates the individual’s role in influencing the game’s outcome. For that reason, it emphasizes late-inning game-turning accomplishments. It judges the player’s contribution within the broader context of winning the game.
Here are Clayton Kershaw’s 10 most exceptional regular season performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers
10. July 25, 2010, Dodgers 1, Mets 0. In only his second full season, Kershaw scattered seven hits in eight innings of work before turning the outcome over to Kenley Jansen for the save. Four times the Mets got a runner into scoring position against Kershaw, but he never allowed that runner to advance.
Still the outcome wasn’t decided until Russell Martin’s eighth inning double drove in Casey Blake, who had singled. Win Probability Added: 0.533
9. July 20, 2011, Dodgers 1, Giants 0. This is the second of five 1-0 shutouts on Kershaw’s personal 10-best list. With ninth inning relief help from Javy Guerra, he held the Giants to three hits at AT&T Park, all of them singles, and struck out 12. This game was scoreless until the seventh, when Dionner Navarro homered off Giants starter Tim Lincecum. Win Probability Added: 0.537
8. Aug. 12, 2015, Dodgers 3, Nationals 0. At Dodger Stadium, Kershaw pitched eight innings of three-hit shutout ball, striking out eight and walking none. The only Washington baserunners were Michael A. Taylor (sixth-inning double and eighth-inning single), and Anthony Rendon (seventh-inning single).
Kershaw protected a 1-0 lead until the eighth, when the Dodgers pushed across two insurance runs. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth. Win Probability Added: 0.552.