Clayton KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKershaw No Hits the Rockies

Clayton Kershaw tossed one of the most dominant games in Major League history. A no hitter is historic in its own respect, but to strikeout 15 batters with just over 100 pitches is unheard of. This no hitter is the second for the Dodgers this season after Josh Beckett's no-no against the Phillies in Philadelphia. I have compared Kershaw to Sandy Koufax plenty of times, and here is a side by side video of the two pitching.

Kershaw's no hitter would have probably been a perfect game if it were not for a Hanley Ramirez error in the 7th inning which allowed Cory Dickerson to reach base. Other than that base runner, Kershaw did not allow any others. Here is a video of every play of the game announced by the legendary Vin Scully.

Kershaw's stats are going back to where they usually are after a hiccup early in the season. His ERA sits at 2.52 and his WHIP sits at 0.92 with 86 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. He also holds a 7-2 record. It appears he is on his way to yet another sub 3.00 ERA season, maybe even another sub 2.00 ERA season. You can expect Kershaw to compete for the All Star Game start with Cueto, Wainwright, Teheran, and Hudson.

Koufax-Kershaw Comparison

                 KERSHAW
                       VS
                  KOUFAX







Clayton Kershaw is just 24 years old and has already impressed a lot of people around baseball including myself. He has 3 consecutive seasons of a sub 3 ERA, but it was 2011 with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts that made him separable from other starters. Some believe Kershaw may be the next Sandy Koufax.


Koufax hit his prime much later than Kershaw. When Koufax was 23 his ERA was 4.05, but Koufax would kick it into high gear at the age of 26 with a 2.54 ERA and would never post an ERA lower than that. Kershaw and Koufax also have extremely similar strikeout per nine inning rates.

Koufax obviously pitched in an era that was pitching dominant and the MLB is slowing shifting back to pitching dominance, but to this day Koufax is still one of the best pitchers ever. Kershaw has a lot of promise for his future and even Sandy Koufax says he likes the way he pitches.

Graphs courtesy of fangraphs.com