Cy Young Profile: Clayton Kershaw, 2011

Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  23

4^th season with Dodgers

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 225 

Prior to 2011:

A native of Dallas, Texas, Kershaw produced a 13-0 record with a 0.77 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched as a senior at Highland Park High School. Chosen by the Dodgers as the seventh overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft, he started out professionally in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in ’06 and in 10 games went 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 37 innings. He split 2007 with the Great Lakes Loons of the Class A Midwest League and the Jacksonville Suns of the Class AA Southern League and compiled a combined tally of 8-7 with a 2.95 ERA and 163 strikeouts over the course of 122 innings. Kershaw started the 2008 season with Jacksonville prior to being called up to the Dodgers where he flashed his potential but appeared to be a bit raw yet on his way to a 5-5 tally with a 4.26 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 107.2 innings. Still seeking to fine-tune his control in 2009, he was again a .500 pitcher at 8-8 while his ERA improved to 2.79. He recorded 185 strikeouts in 171 innings pitched, but also issued 91 walks. The Dodgers won the NL West title and, in his first postseason start against St. Louis in the NLDS, he pitched well in notching a win, but he was shelled by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. Kershaw developed further in 2010 as he produced a 13-10 record with a 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts while dropping his walks to 81 in 204.1 innings pitched.   

2011 Season Summary

Appeared in 33 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 33

Games Started – 33 [4, tied with sixteen others]

Complete Games – 5 [3]

Wins – 21 [1, tied with Ian Kennedy]

Losses – 5

PCT - .808 [2]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 2 [2, tied with Jaime Garcia, Chris Carpenter & Anibal Sanchez]

Innings Pitched – 233.1 [3]

Hits – 174

Runs – 66

Earned Runs – 59

Home Runs – 15

Bases on Balls – 54

Strikeouts – 248 [1]

ERA – 2.28 [1]

Hit Batters – 3

Balks – 1 [18, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 5

League-leading strikeouts were +10 ahead of runner-up Cliff Lee

League-leading ERA was -0.07 lower than runner-up Roy Halladay

Midseason Snapshot: 9-4, ERA - 3.03, SO - 147 in 130.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 12 (in 8 IP) at San Francisco 7/20

10+ strikeout games – 7

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) vs. Florida 5/29, (in 9 IP) vs. Detroit 6/20

Batting

PA – 86, AB – 71, R – 10, H – 16, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 4, BB – 3, SO – 13, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .225, GDP – 1, HBP – 1, SH – 11, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances - 47

Put Outs – 9

Assists – 38

Errors – 0

DP – 2

Pct. - 1.000

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

Gold Glove

All-Star

12^th in NL MVP voting (29 points, 6% share)

NL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Clayton Kershaw, LAD: 207 points – 27 of 32 first place votes, 92% share

Roy Halladay, Phila.: 133 points – 4 first place votes, 59% share

Cliff Lee, Phila.: 90 points – 40% share

Ian Kennedy, Ariz.: 76 points – 1 first place vote, 34% share

Cole Hamels, Phila.: 17 points – 8% share

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The Dodgers went 82-79 to finish third in the NL Western Division, 11.5 games behind the division-winning Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers were 26-30 at the end of May, but rode Kershaw’s pitching and the hitting of CF Matt Kemp to a surprising third-place finish.

Aftermath of 2011:

With his outstanding fastball, slider, and curve, Kershaw utilized a consistent overhand motion while adept at keeping the ball hidden from opposing batters  and has also been difficult to steal against. He continued to excel in 2012, posting a 14-9 record while again leading the NL in ERA (2.53) while also hurling two shutouts and striking out 229 batters for the second-place Dodgers. LA topped the NL West in 2013 and Kershaw put together another Cy Young-winning season with a 16-9 tally, league-best 1.83 ERA and 232 strikeouts. His postseason performance was a mixed bag, including a win against Atlanta in the NLDS and a battering by the Cardinals in the NLCS. In the offseason he signed a seven-year, $215 million contract extension. Kershaw won a fourth straight ERA title in 2014 with his 1.77 mark, and produced a 21-3 record with six complete games, including a no-hitter against Colorado, and 239 strikeouts. He was league MVP as well as recipient of a third NL Cy Young Award, although he encountered further postseason problems, losing twice to St. Louis in the NLDS. In 2015 Kershaw was hit in the head by a line drive during spring training, which did not cause any ill effects. During the ensuing season he led the league in innings pitched (232.2), complete games (4), shutouts (3), and strikeouts (301), while producing a 16-7 tally. He placed third in league Cy Young voting and earned a split in his two NLDS starts against the New York Mets. Kershaw encountered injury problems in 2016 due to a herniated disc in his back that sidelined him during July and August. He returned to action in September and pitched well down the stretch to finish at 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA, three shutouts, and 172 strikeouts in 149 innings pitched. The Dodgers won a fourth straight NL West title and fell short, once more, in the postseason as Kershaw lost the NLCS-deciding Game 6 to the eventual World Series-winning Chicago Cubs. Although hindered by a strained back muscle in 2017, he led the NL in wins with his 18-4 record and in ERA (2.31). He recorded 202 strikeouts and finished second in NL Cy Young balloting. LA reached the World Series and he pitched well in winning Game 1 against the Houston Astros. He was hit hard in a Game 5 start and Houston won in a Series that came to later be mired in controversy over a sign-stealing scandal involving the Astros. Injuries limited Kershaw to 26 starts in 2018, and while his fastball appeared to lose some velocity, he remained effective while posting a 9-5 record with a 2.73 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 161.1 innings. The Dodgers again advanced to the World Series where Kershaw lost both of his starts against the Boston Red Sox, who came away with the title. In the offseason he agreed to a contract extension for three years and $93 million. He produced a 16-5 mark in 2019 with a 3.03 ERA and 189 strikeouts while accumulating 178.1 innings. In the postseason, he was brought into the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS vs. Washington in relief but gave up two home runs that allowed the Nationals to tie the score in a game they ultimately won. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he went 6-2 in 10 starts covering 58.1 innings with a 2.16 ERA and 62 strikeouts. The Dodgers defeated Tampa Bay in the World Series and Kershaw won both of his starts. 2021 was an injury-riddled season for Kershaw, who was 10-8 in 22 starts with a 3.55 ERA and 144 strikeouts while compiling 121.2 innings. In his first start of 2022, Kershaw pitched seven perfect innings at Minnesota before being removed by manager Dave Roberts for exceeding his pitch count and innings limit. A reliever lost the no-hit bid in the eighth inning. Placed on the injured list in May, he returned to take another no-hit bid through seven innings in July against the Angels, giving up a hit in the eighth prior to being removed and still picking up the win. He finished the season with a 12-3 tally and a 2.28 ERA with 137 strikeouts over 126.1 innings. The pitcher known as “The Claw”, “The Minotaur”, and “Kersh” was a free agent in the offseason but returned to the Dodgers for 2023. For his major league career through 2022, spent entirely with the Dodgers, he posted a 197-87 record with a 2.48 ERA, 25 complete games, 15 shutouts, and 2807 strikeouts in 2581 innings pitched. A nine-time All-Star, he has received three Cy Young Awards. Appearing in 38 postseason games, his record is 13-12 with a 4.22 ERA and 213 strikeouts in 194 innings pitched.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.