Dodgers Blue Heaven: Clayton "The Claw" Kershaw Earns his 3rd Consecutive All-Star Berth

Saturday, July 06, 2013

Clayton "The Claw" Kershaw Earns his 3rd Consecutive All-Star Berth

To the surprise of no one, Clayton Kershaw has just been named to the 2013 National League All-Star game. Congrats, big guy!

I was surprised to find out that Adrian Gonzalez was not chosen, as well. He has been our most consistent Dodger all season long, and is by my estimation the only reason we are even still in the race for the NL West. If not for him, we would've been much further away from the top when our winning ways came back. But, I digress.

Per a Dodgers press release:

Kershaw, who was selected as an All-Star last year by Manager Tony La Russa and in 2011 via player balloting, is the first Dodger to be selected to three consecutive All-Star teams since Eric Gagne (2002-04). Kershaw tossed a scoreless inning of relief in both of his previous All-Star appearances.

The 25-year-old has gone 7-5 with a 1.93 ERA through 18 starts this season, leading the Majors in ERA and opponents’ batting average (.189) and ranking among the NL’s best in innings pitched (130.1, 3rd), strikeouts (126, 2nd), shutouts (2, T-1st) and WHIP (0.93, 2nd). Kershaw has tossed 7.0 or more innings in 14 of his 18 starts, while allowing one or fewer runs in nine outings this season.

Kershaw was selected as the National League’s Player of the Week during the season’s opening week, when he went 2-0 with 16 strikeouts in 16.0 scoreless innings in two starts. Kershaw earned the win in his first decision of the 2013 campaign with an Opening Day performance for the record books, tossing a shutout and clubbing a game-winning homer in a 4-0 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Texas-native became just the second pitcher in Major League history to hit a home run and throw a shutout in his team’s season opener, joining Cleveland Indians hurler Bob Lemon, who homered in his Opening Day one-hitter against the White Sox on April 14, 1953. In addition to hitting an eighth-inning blast that broke a scoreless tie, Kershaw held San Francisco batters to four hits while fanning seven and not issuing a walk. The shutout extended Kershaw’s streak of three consecutive Opening Day starts without allowing a run (also: April 5, 2012 at San Diego and March 31, 2011 vs. San Francisco).

Kershaw has posted a 68-42 record in 169 games (167 starts) in six Major League seasons and leads the big leagues with a 2.69 ERA and .212 opponents’ batting average since the start of the 2008 season.