Clayton Kershaw’s Race to 3,000 Strikeouts: Is the Era of Dominant Pitching Coming to an End?

Hey, if you haven’t been tracking every pitcher’s milestone lately, let me clue you in: Clayton Kershaw, that three-time Cy Young dyno, is just a hair’s breadth away from ringing up strikeout number 3,000 . Three, count ’em — just three strikeouts shy of joining a seriously elite club. Picture it — Dodger Stadium, electric crowd, the crack of the bat — and Kershaw stepping up for a moment that’s almost too sweet to put into words. Only 19 pitchers in MLB history have ever hit this target, and now, along with the likes of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Kershaw is poised to be the third active superstar to reach this benchmark. This stirs a mix of cheer and reflection. Because while we celebrate a legendary feat, I can’t help but wonder — are these milestones becoming relics of another era? Kershaw is one of the few remaining giants from a bygone age when hurlers logged 200 innings season after season, stacking wins and strikeouts with relentless mastery. Back in his prime years from 2010 through 2015, the 6-foot-4 left-hander dominated the National League, reigning supreme in ERA five times, strikeouts thrice, and wins twice — a true force of nature on the mound. There was that breathtaking 2014 season when Kershaw dazzled with a 21-3 record, a microscopic 1.77 ERA, and 233 strikeouts — performances that earned him both the Cy Young and the National League MVP awards. Today, at 37, he’s not quite the same flame-thrower, yet his recent form — 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA across eight starts post-injury — showcases the savvy, determination, and gritty heart only a seasoned 18-year veteran can offer. Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts even calls him a “shot in the arm” for a shaken-up starting rotation, fed by Kershaw’s sheer will despite a diminished velocity that barely touches 90 mph on a good day. This moment coincides with the twilight years of Verlander and Scherzer — a trio soon destined for Cooperstown — symbolizing perhaps the final act of traditional pitching greatness. Verlander boasts 262 wins; Kershaw and Scherzer, both at 216, trail alongside him. Beyond them, the stats sharply decline. Makes you wonder if anyone else will chase 200 wins, let alone the storied 300-win club once graced by legends like Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens. To put this into perspective, the wins leader among sub-30 pitchers today is Logan Webb at 62. Hitting 3,000 strikeouts? A bit more plausible, thanks to modern pitch velocities, but shaky nonetheless. Veterans like Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole might scrape there if health and luck rear their heads. Yet, the pipeline of young pitchers sprinting toward those lofty totals seems worryingly sparse. It’s a trend that’s hard to ignore — another star arm shelved for Tommy John surgery every few months, velocity demands throwing arms to their limits, and human anatomy pushing back hard against the strain. The game is evolving, and so too will our benchmarks for greatness at the mound. Whatever changes lie ahead, on this night, under those bright Dodger Stadium lights, we get to watch Kershaw etch his name indelibly into the annals of baseball lore. Let’s savor every last strikeout — because that era’s fading fast. LEARN MORE

It’s a big number for one of the biggest baseball stars of this generation — three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is closing in on 3,000 strikeouts.

He needs just three more punchouts to reach the mark, meaning it likely will happen in front of an adoring home crowd at Dodger Stadium when Los Angeles hosts the Chicago White Sox. Kershaw would become just the 20th pitcher in MLB history — and one of three active pitchers along with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer — to hit the milestone.

It’s a time for celebration. It’s also a time for wistful contemplation.

Are we nearing the end of these kinds of career celebrations — particularly for pitchers?

Kershaw is one of the final holdovers from his generation, one that included guys who threw at least 200 innings year after year, piling up wins and strikeouts thanks to consistent excellence. In his prime from 2010 to 2015, the 6-foot-4 lefty led the National League in ERA five times, in strikeouts three times and wins twice.

His peak arguably came in 2014, when he finished with a 21-3 record, 1.77 ERA and 233 strikeouts to win both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player in the National League.

Kershaw, now 37, isn’t the same pitcher these days, though his success over the past month is a testament to the knowledge, grit and sheer willpower that only an 18-year veteran can possess. He is 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA through eight starts since returning from injury, providing an injury-riddled Dodgers rotation with a spark despite a fastball that barely hits 90 mph on a good day.

“He has given us a shot in the arm,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re sort of ailing on the starting pitching side. Coming in and giving us valuable innings. I just love that kind of edge that he gives on start day.

“We certainly feed off that.”

Kershaw’s twilight is coinciding with the final years of Verlander and Scherzer, and the trio is primed to join the Hall of Fame over the next decade. The group symbolizes what might be the last gasp of long-term excellence on the pitcher’s mound.

The 42-year-old Verlander has won 262 career games while Kershaw and Scherzer — who turns 41 — both sit at 216. After that, the career leaderboards fall off dramatically.

It’s fair to wonder if any other MLB pitcher ever will reach 200 career wins again, much less 300, which was the gold standard for generations and last reached by the likes of Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens in the 2000s and 2010s.

Consider this: The current career wins leader for a pitcher under 30 is the 28-year-old Logan Webb, who has a grand total of 62.

Getting to 3,000 strikeouts is a little more realistic given the sport-wide increase in pitch velocity, but even that’s in question. Atlanta’s Chris Sale (2,528 Ks) is 36 and could get there with a few more healthy seasons. New York’s Gerrit Cole (2,254) has a chance, too — if the 34-year-old can bounce back from elbow surgery.

But again, the list of pitchers piling up strikeouts in their 20s is conspicuously absent.

The 29-year-old Dylan Cease is the under-30 leader with 1,133 career Ks, but he likely will need a decade of good health to get close. By comparison, Kershaw had 2,120 strikeouts entering his age-30 season.

There are some young, promising arms that might emerge in the future — think Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal — but the trends aren’t pointing in the right direction.

It seems like every few days, another star pitcher goes down to Tommy John elbow surgery or a similar procedure, leaving them out of action for at least a year.

Surely, career-altering injuries have been a part of baseball forever, but this feels different.

To dominate in today’s game, velocity is paramount. So is movement. The main goal is to make the baseball move as quickly and violently as possible, and today’s pitchers are throwing nastier pitches than ever before. A big fastball used to be anything in the 90s just a few decades ago. Now, that number is closer to 100.

The big problem is that most human arms don’t seem to be able to handle the stress — particularly for the lengthy amounts of time needed to chase 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts or many of the other career milestones that once defined greatness.

Over the next generation, the metrics that determine which pitchers enter Cooperstown will likely change dramatically. Arizona righty Zac Gallen — who has 58 career wins and turns 30 in August — said last year that it’s possible some pitchers from the current generation will be left out of the Hall of Fame as the definition of excellence changes.

It should be a fascinating transition.

But for at least one more night — probably in Los Angeles in front of roughly 50,000 fans — Kershaw will carry the torch for traditional pitching greatness.

Enjoy it, because that light appears to be fading fast.