Baseball fans awestruck by Clayton Kershaw holding best ERA in MLB history: "Greatest of our generation and it’s not really close"

When the Los Angeles Dodgers selected pitcher Clayton Kershaw out of Highland Park High School in the first round of the 2006 draft, the team knew they had a talent on their hands.

They might not have known it then, but Kershaw would go on to make it into both Dodgers and MLB history, as one of the best pitchers ever.

Following Kershaw's 7 inning performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 10, the Texas-native made history for posting the lowest career ERA of any pitcher in either the NL or the AL.

With an ERA of 2.48 over 2,600 innings, Kershaw surpassed former Chicago White Sox legend, Hoyt Wilhelm, who retired well before Clayton Kershaw was even born. Fans took to Twitter to congratulate Kershaw and share their thoughts on his mighty career so far.

After posting an ERA of 2.28 in 2022, Kershaw, 35, is showing no signs of slowing down. The three-time Cy Young Award penned another one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2023, worth $20 million.

For the most part, his 2023 season has been business as usual. Kershaw has a league-high six starts. He did, however, surrender a pair of bombs to Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres in a recent loss to the divisional rivals.

In 2022, Clayton Kershaw also surpassed Don Sutton as the all-time strikeout leader for the Dodgers. It is widely expected that he will be a shoe-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible five years after his retirement.

The Dodgers have gone 8-2 over their past 10 games to retake the top spot in the NL West from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Clayton Kershaw, who already has one World Series ring locked up in his trophy case, will be doing all that he can to add another before his legendary career finally comes to an end.

Clayton Kershaw is a machine that does not seem intent on stopping

If winning three Cy Young Awards and an NL MVP honor does not tell enough, then any of Clayton Kershaw's teammates will tell you that he may be one of the hardest working pitchers in baseball.

While questions continue to swirl regarding the southpaw's long-term health and fitness, he seems to have, for now, put any questions to rest. Kershaw has continued to set a standard that pitchers around the league will be aspiring to for generations to come.

About the author

Adrian Dorney is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda. Having worked over five years in the industry, Adrian strives to combine statistical analysis with the human side of baseball reporting. Since a lot of his briefs involve publishing content with urgency, he has perfected a process involving a combination of trustworthy sources and assessment with intuition.

His lifelong tryst with baseball began with growing up in Toronto and watching the Blue Jays regularly. His favorite player is Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., and Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run in 2015 ALDS Game 5 remains his favorite baseball memory to date.

When not working, Adrian is constantly looking to learn new things and he also loves playing golf and chess.

Know More