“It’s a simple game. You hit the ball, you throw the ball, you catch the ball.” -from Bull Durham
Some pitchers are better at throwing the balls than others. Here is an updated top ten list for starting pitchers (Based on stats from 2016 to 2017):
10. Jose Quintana
9. Jon Lester
8. Jacob deGrom
7. Justin Verlander
6. Michael Fulmer
5. Zack Greinke
4. Madison Bumgarner
3. Chris Sale
2. Max Scherzer
1. Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw is one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. If he is not leading in one pitching category, then he is leading another. We will now break down the legacy of Clayton Edward Kershaw.
Clayton Kershaw is a star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1988. Clayton was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2006 first year player draft. He wears number 22 and stands at an intimidating 6 foot 3 inches and weighing in at 225 pounds. Kershaw has piled up tons of awards and accomplishments in his career. In 2010, Kershaw began giving signs that he was going to be something special. In 204.1 innings, he was able to strike out 212 batters and post a 2.91 earned run average. 2011 was the start of the Kershaw dynasty. In 2011, Clayton Kershaw picked up his first Cy Young award. In 233.1 innings of work, Kershaw struck out a league leading 248 hitters and tied the league lead for wins with 21. He also posted an amazing 2.28 ERA. He carried his success into the 2012 season. 2012 saw Kershaw strike out 229 and a 2.53 ERA. 2013 and 2014 were Kershaw’s best seasons. He won the Cy Young award in both seasons. In 2013, he posted a 1.83 ERA and in 2014, he posted a league leading 1.77. In 2014, Kershaw won the National League Most Valuable Player award because he won 21 games, pitched a no-hitter, and struck out 239 batters in 198.1 innings of work. In 2015, Kershaw’s bar was set extremely high. He had to fight for his fame due to the dominance of Jake Arrieta and teammate Zack Greinke. Kershaw did just that. He struck out 301 batters in 232.2 while posting a 2.13 ERA. He finished third in the Cy Young voting.
In Kershaw short career, he has been awarded a multitude of honors. From 2011 to 2014, he led the league in ERA. He has won three Cy Young awards, been on the All Star team from 2011-2015, won the Gold Glove award in 2011, and was declared the National Most Valuable Player in 2014. As one can see, Clayton Kershaw is one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
In what was supposed to be a super matchup of Stephen Strasburg and Clayton Kershaw, Kershaw came out victorious. Strasburg mysteriously backed out from his scheduled start. For Kershaw though, he claimed his league leading 11 win.
Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw are both some of the best players in baseball today. It was no surprise when both of them won the MVP award in their league. Mike Trout has always been an MVP candidate but Miguel Cabrera stole it from him. Clayton Kershaw was the usual Cy Young award winner but has never been in a MVP show. Both of these players had lots of obstacles to go through. Clayton Kershaw had to beat out Giancarlo Stanton and Andrew McCutchen while Mike Trout had to go in front of Michael Brantley and Victor Martinez. Mike Trout hit 36 home runs and drove in a league leading 111 RBIs. He also scored 115 runs leading all of MLB. Mike has also won the all-star MVP award, too. Mike Trout was not as aggressive of the base paths like he used to be only stealing 16 bases. Clayton Kershaw had a great record of 21-3 with 239 strikeouts. Clayton Kershaw also posted a 1.77 ERA. That is really good. Mike Trout was also a very good defender in 2014. Since Clayton Kershaw is a pitcher, he doesn’t get to make great plays like Mike Trout does. Clayton Kershaw really did dominate everybody he saw.
During the 2015 baseball season, the National League saw many great pitchers like Gerrit Cole, Michael Wacha, and Max Scherzer. But Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke, and Clayton Kershaw really stood out. Zack Greinke pitched 45.2 consecutive scoreless innings while posting a 1.66 ERA. Jake Arrieta led the Chicago Cubs to a playoff birth by winning 22 games and pitching a no-hitter. Clayton Kershaw had anothe monster year posting a 2.13 ERA and striking out 301 batters. All these pitchers have 2 things in common: they led their teams to the playoffs and are all fighting for the National League Cy Young award. As you can see, these pitchers have a great career in front of them and are capable of winning the Cy Young award.
Clayton Kershaw put up a spectacular stat line last night. He threw eight innings with 13 strikeouts. On top of that, Kershaw has 122 strikeouts and three shutouts.
| Stats | Jake Arrieta | Zack Greinke | Clayton Kershaw |
| Wins | 22 | 19 | 16 |
| Losses | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Games | 33 | 32 | 33 |
| Innings Pitched | 229 | 222.2 | 232.2 |
| Strikeouts | 236 | 200 | 301 |
| ERA | 1.77 | 1.66 | 2.13 |
| Postseason Appearance | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| All-Star appearance | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| No-Hitter | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| WAR | 8.6 | 9.3 | 7.5 |
| Complete Games | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Shutouts | 3 | 0 | 3 |
They are the most fearable pitchers of all time. Both have their own share of no-hitters. No let’s look deeply into their statistics.
Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw is the best starting pitcher in the national league. As of 2014, he has won two Cy Young Awards and is a candidate for the 2014 award. The Cy Young Award is an award for the best pitcher in the league. In 2014, Clayton threw a dominant no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies. He also is a four time all-star.
Felix Hernandez
Felix Hernandez is one of the best starting pitchers in the American league. Like Kershaw, he also has a no-hitter. He has only one Cy Young Award and that was in 2010. He strikes out over 200 batters a year.
2014 was when Kershaw dominated the league,
Striking out batters 1-2-3.
He struck out 239 batters,
Sending their dreams to shatters.
He went 21-3 with an ERA of 1.77,
The Dodgers’ ace was in Heaven.
He won the Cy Young for the 3rd time,
And he won the MVP showing that he can shine.
Kershaw’s curve is all the rage,
Showing batters that they are not on the same page.
When Kershaw is done,
You may want to run,
The dominance is true,
He WILL fool you.