Clayton Kershaw Cements Status in Dodgers Lore by Passing Sandy Koufax on All-Time Wins List
By Mark Powell
As if the American public needed any more convincing, Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher of his era, and potentially one of the greatest of all-time.
On Tuesday night, Kershaw added to his already-impressive list of accomplishments by passing Sandy Koufax, perhaps as iconic figure as there has been in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in wins.
Kershaw's Tuesday night outing wasn't particularly impressive considering his lofty standards--6 IP, 6 Hits Allowed, 3 Earned Runs and 2 loud home runs off the bat of Bo Bichette--but it bought enough time for a talented Dodgers offense to give the 31-year-old the run support he needed.
Cody Bellinger adds a pair of 100s to his incredible season, and Clayton Kershaw adds another W to his incredible career, passing Sandy Koufax. https://t.co/usPFISxKn9
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) August 21, 2019
Looking back, this isn't a day Kershaw will forget anytime soon.
"It's an honor for me just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Sandy," Kershaw said after the team's 16-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. "What he was able to accomplish in his career -- he would've gone a lot longer if he was playing today, probably, because he could've gotten healthy. Just a special thing, man."
Alden Gonzalez: His place in Dodgers history already secure, Clayton Kershaw eclipses Sandy Koufax https://t.co/aJ3G1Rylyr
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 21, 2019
Koufax was forced to retire at the young age of 30 due to a series of arm injuries, or else he'd be much higher in the franchise record books. Kershaw's now-166 wins puts him in the top-25 in the illustrious history of the Dodgers, with the top-20 well within reach with just three more victories.