Clayton Kershaw is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history, and his path to the Los Angeles Dodgers has been chronicled by Andy McCullough in the upcoming book The Last of his Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness, which comes out on Tuesday, May 7.
The biography, published by Hachette Book Group, explores Kershaw’s dominance, quest to win the World Series and his standing in the ever-evolving game of baseball. The book features exclusive interviews with more than 200 people, including Kershaw himself.
Kershaw was selected by the Dodgers with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft and he would make his debut two years later. The left-hander won his first of three National League Cy Young Awards in 2011 and made his first of 10 All-Star appearances that year as well.
Kershaw also won the Triple Crown by leading the NL in wins (21), ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (248).
The future Hall of Famer went on to win the NL MVP Award in 2014 and has accomplished virtually everything possible for a pitcher. After years of postseason heartbreak, Kershaw and the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020.
While the now 36-year-old has been limited by injuries in recent seasons, he has continued to pitch at a high level when healthy. Kershaw is currently on the mend from a left shoulder injury that required surgery during the offseason and should return at some point in the second half of 2024.
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In 16 seasons with the Dodgers, Kershaw is 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA, 2.82 FIP and 1.00 WHIP over 2,712.2 innings pitched across 425 games (422 starts).
Kershaw holds multiple Dodgers records, including most strikeouts (2,944), which he set last year.
Clayton Kershaw hopeful for solution to combat pitcher injuries
One of the biggest storylines of the 2024 MLB season so far has been the rash of elbow injuries for pitchers, with a slew of notable arms sidelined set to miss significant time.
Kershaw expressed hope that MLB and the Players Association can work together to find a solution to reduce the number of elbow injuries.
