Kershaw dazzles with 15 strikeouts as Dodgers sweep Giants
Clayton Kershaw keeps getting better.
The Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander set a new career high in strikeouts Wednesday, defeating the San Francisco Giants 2-1 with a 132-pitch, complete-game performance.
Kershaw struck out 15 hitters on the night to give him 251 strikeouts on the year, surpassing his previous high of 248 from 2011. It was the second time in Kershaw's career that he struck out 15 hitters in a game, also doing so against the Colorado Rockies during his no-hitter last season.
"He had 15 strikeouts? Wow," manager Don Mattingly said after the game. "He laid the gauntlet down in the sense that it's that time of year. If you got these guys down at all you want to keep them there."
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
The 132 pitches against the Giants also tied Kershaw's career high, and he set a record for the most swings and misses in a game over the last decade with 35.
Kershaw now has the most strikeouts by a Dodgers pitcher since Sandy Koufax had 317 in 1966.
The 27-year-old sat down several Giants on multiple occasions, including Angel Pagan, Gregor Blanco, Marlon Byrd, and Brandon Belt.
KERSHAW'S Ks
| Player | Inning |
|---|---|
| Angel Pagan | 1st |
| Marlon Byrd | 2nd |
| Kelby Tomlinson | 3rd |
| Mike Leake | 3rd |
| Angel Pagan | 4th |
| Buster Posey | 5th |
| Brandon Belt | 5th |
| Ehire Adrianza | 6th |
| Gregor Blanco | 7th |
| Matt Duffy | 7th |
| Marlon Byrd | 7th |
| Brandon Belt | 8th |
| Andrew Susac | 8th |
| Gregor Blanco | 9th |
| Marlon Byrd | 9th |
With the victory, the Dodgers completed the three game sweep of the Giants and moved 6 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco in the National League West.
"We're a good team and we're starting to play like that day in and day out," Kershaw said. "We can't relax. We got to keep our foot on the gas pedal."