As Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully once said of future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw: “He’s done it.” The “it,” of course, was Kershaw’s No-Hitter at Dodger Stadium on June 18, 2014.

If Scully were still broadcasting, the “it” on Saturday night at a sold-out Dodger Stadium would have been for the 34-year-old Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX, passing Dodger Hall of Fame right-hander Don Sutton (do you see a pattern here?) for most strikeouts in Dodgers franchise history, topping Sutton’s long-standing record of 2,696 strikeouts as a Dodger.

Kershaw tied Sutton’s record in the top of the third inning when he struck out Tigers catcher Dustin Garneau swinging, for which he received a standing ovation from the large Dodger Stadium crowd. He then broke the record in the top of the fourth inning when he struck out Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson swinging, after which the crowd went crazy, with Kershaw stepping off the mound and tipping his hat. In a very classy move, home plate umpire Bill Miller allowed several minutes for Kershaw to share and enjoy the moment with the home crowd and with his family in the stands.

Asked postgame if he was surprised by the crowd’s reaction, Kershaw said that he was.

“It’s special. I didn’t expect it,” Kershaw answered. “I understand the Dodgers are a historical franchise and been around a long time, so guys that are on that list that I was fortunate enough to pass, it’s a big deal.

“But I didn’t know fans would know or honestly care that much. So it was special for me. It really was. It was cool to see. I tried to kind of brush it off and keep going, but they wouldn’t let me. It definitely meant a lot, for sure.”

As for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, he wasn’t the least bit surprised by the crowd’s reaction; not even a little bit.

“No, no I wasn’t,” Roberts answered without a hint of hesitation. “And I say that as a compliment because our fans are very in-tune with what’s going on, certainly a player of Clayton’ caliber. And obviously, everything’s out there real-time so that people are very much aware of what’s going on. So I thought it was great.”

Prior to the game, Roberts was asked that, with the evolution of the game today, would Kershaw have been able to achieve this remarkable accomplishment if he came up in a different era?

“Yeah, I do,” Roberts answered. “I think that he is arguably the best pitcher of our generation. Obviously, the game has kind of evolved over the last, call it, ten years. So, when you look at the great and whatever, era, he would be up there, he’s up there with all of them. No one can argue that he’s not one of the greatest in our generation.”

Roberts was then asked about the frequent comparisons between Kershaw and Hall of Fame left-hander Sandy Koufax.

“I think that for (the media) to talk about Clayton inline with Sandy Koufax, that in itself is the greatest compliment you can get,” replied Roberts. “I know that he and Sandy are very close. Clayton’s used him as a mentor, and Sandy watches every start that Clayton makes, so I think it’s a great comparison. But again, when you talk about those two guys, you can flip a coin and I’ll take either.”

Asked about the interactions and impact that Kershaw has had on the younger pitchers, Roberts was very definitive in his answer.

“He’s great, and I think that it’s two parts,” Roberts began.” I think that the one part is where young players, whether it’s starters or relievers, just pitchers and players, just watch how he goes about things and how he prepares and stuff under the hood in the weight room that he’s doing that people aren’t privy to that we are.

“And then you take the conversations that he has, and Walker (Buehler) will often say that he’s a big reason for his success at the Major League level, and the conversations with Julio (Urías), and watching how Clayton goes about things. So, he’s impactful not only the way he goes about things, but leading by conversations to others,” Roberts added.

The entire staff at ThinkBlueLA.com extends our sincerest congratulations to Clayton Kershaw and his family for this tremendous accomplishment – undoubtedly with more on the way.

Play Ball!

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