In MLB and all baseball leagues, the objective of the game if you are a pitcher is conceding the fewest possible runs to give the offense a chance to win.
To accomplish that goal, a ton of things are needed: good stuff, health, command, control, poise, and stamina are just a few of them.
In the specific case of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, he has them all, and then some.
Before starting Thursday’s game, the future Hall of Famer had started 383 career games with an incredible 2.48 ERA.
Pitchers dream with a sub-3.00s ERA, and Kershaw has made a routine of it.
It has been an impressive ride, one that finally netted him a World Series championship in 2020 and could still deliver several more.
When it comes to run prevention, Kershaw has only one comparable pitcher in the history of the game.
“Wish we could just induct him now. Kershaw’s started 384 regular season games and in those games has an ERA under 2.50! In the last 100 years, Tom Seaver is the only other major league pitcher to have a 384-start stretch with an ERA under 2.50,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Wish we could just induct him now. 👑
Kershaw's started 384 regular season games and in those games has an ERA under 2.50!
In the last 100 years, Tom Seaver is the only other major league pitcher to have a 384-start stretch with an ERA under 2.50. 🤯 https://t.co/CmY6AenWXO
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 23, 2022
Seaver And Kershaw Are On A Tier Of Their Own
When your name is thrown around as a comparison with “Tom Terrific”, you are doing things the right way and you are supremely talented.
Kershaw is one of MLB’s most valuable treasures.
No pitcher has his combination of command and stuff.
As he ages, the stuff diminishes a bit, but the command gets even better, so he can keep missing bats and getting results almost at will.
Before Thursday, his ERA was an incredible 2.08 in 2022.
Despite some health scares in 2021 and 2022, he is still a top performer even at 34 years old.
The Hall of Fame is already waiting for him.
Love him. Kershaw has given the game so much, but you have to expect extended stays on the disabled list. The best I would expect from here on out is 10-5, 145 innings per year. Of course, Tom Seaver was 10 games under .500 his last few years.