Clayton Kershaw moves three strikeouts away from 3,000 as Dodgers win

Denver – Clayton Kershaw arrived at the precipice in history Thursday afternoon. And now, when he inevitably crosses the milepost of 3,000 career withdrawals, this will almost certainly happen on his home mound.

In the 3-1 victory of the Dodgers against the Colorado rockies, Kershaw hit five strikers on a six-heey start and a round to go to 2,997 punchies for his career.

For a while, it seemed that Kershaw could be able to overshadow the threshold on Thursday. At the end of the sixth round, he had only launched 69 throws while mowing a range of free swing rocks.

Alas, the manager Dave Roberts gave his 37 -year -old left -hander an early hook, transforming a narrow end -of -game lead to his lift enclosure – and preserving the opportunity for the moment marked in Kershaw to perform at the Dodger stadium during the Homesand next week.

“I would say that there could be a temptation to get him out [today] And let him go in front of fans of the house, “said Roberts, when he was asked if he would plan to extend the Kershaw leash to let him chase his 3,000th withdrawal on Thursday.” I’m not going to force anything. “

Since Kershaw came back from the off -season feet and knees in May, and has shown an ability to produce even with a quick bullet decreased and an increase in mileage on his arm, his pursuit of 3,000 stick withdrawals felt less as a “if” than “when”.

Thursday, his total career was 2,992, which left him only eight shy people to become the 20th launcher in the history of the MLB, and only the fourth left, to join the prestigious 3K club.

“I suppose in the end, the last box he needs to verify his future career at the renowned temple is the threshold of 3,000 strokes,” said Roberts. “We are all waiting for in anticipation.”

More impressive, however, Kershaw won matches and limiting the races for Dodgers (51-31), improving at 4-0 with an average made by 3.03 to eight departures this season.

“I think there are good days and bad days, good locations and bad locations,” said Kershaw. “Not as consistent, not as perfect as I wish. But the results were ok. And in the end, we win games that I have been on the mound. So I’m grateful for that. Just a product to be in a big team.”

Kershaw did not expect exactly to reach the 3,000 -year -old mark on Thursday, recognizing that “eight in Colorado will never be easy to do”.

During his first two rounds, however, he quickly got closer. Thairo Estrada fulminated on a curve ball during the first round. And although Brenton Doyle struck a solo circuit in the second, Kershaw put Michael Toglia and Orlando Arcia swinging with a cursor and a curved ball, respectively.

“I love this advantage that he gives every day of departure,” said Roberts. “We are certainly nourished by that.”

Kershaw did not obtain another withdrawal until the end of the fifth, removing the side with a cursor who frozen Braxton Fulford for a third strike called. A round before that, he was bailed out by his defense after his only walk, when Miguel Rojas turned a double game in the third base to erase the freezing.

“It could have been a race, a runner in second position, no one,” said Kershaw. “So, to shoot this double game, there was a kind of game game. … The biggest game of the day.”

However, in the sixth, all the eyes returned to the total of Kershaw’s withdrawal after Tyler Freeman was struck on a generous external call to finish a stick of eight points.

Although it should have removed the side, Kershaw was as little as a round of n ° 3,000.

Instead, Roberts has decided to end his day, making sure that the next time Kershaw will take the mound – probably next Wednesday at home against the White Sox of Chicago – he will only need three stick withdrawals to do something that two launchers before: having a career of 3000 strokes while playing for a single team.

“It would be very special,” said Kershaw about potentially reaching the milestone at the Dodger stadium. “It would be.”

Ohtani to launch Saturday

While Kershaw was through the Rockies (18-63), Shohei Ohtani delivered the biggest swing of the day for the Dodgers, replacing what was only a 2-1 advance with a Home Run solo on the right, his 28th of the year.

The explosion occurred a few hours after the other big news of the day, Roberts confirming the pre-match that the two-way star will start as a launcher on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

This match will mark the third outing of the season of Ohtani of the season and could be his first in which he goes beyond the first round. Last week, Roberts alluded to the possibility of Ohtani – which still accumulates in his return from Tommy John surgery – launching the second round, but he continued to leave open final decisions.