Clayton Kershaw has it all: two Cy Young Awards, three consecutive MLB ERA titles, a 20-win season, a $215 million contract, a beautiful wife … now you can add no-hitter to the list.
Kershaw put on a dominant performance unlike anything we’ve ever seen Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the Colorado Rockies. In the 8-0 win, Kershaw’s final line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 15 SO, 107 pitches.
Want to know just how dominant these numbers are?
Here are some fun stats via ESPN and Elias:
Game Score, a metric devised by Bill James, measures a pitcher’s single-game performance based on on IP, runs, hits, strikeouts and walks. According to this metric score, Kershaw’s performance was the second best by a pitcher in the last 100 years.
List of Game Scores of 100 or higher in a nine-inning game:
Kerry Wood, Cubs, 1998: 105 (1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 20 SO)
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, 2014: 102
Matt Cain, Giants: 2012: 101 (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 SO)
Nolan Ryan, Rangers, 1991: 101 (0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 16 SO)
Sandy Koufax, Dodgers, 1965: 101 (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 SO)
Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays, 2010: 100 (1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 17 SO)
Randy Johnson, D-backs, 2004: 100 (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 SO)
Curt Schilling, D-backs, 2002: 100 (1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 17 SO)
Nolan Ryan, Angels, 1973: 100 (0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 17 SO)
Nolan Ryan, Angels, 1972: 100 (1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 16 SO)
Warren Spahn, Braves, 1960: 100 (0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 15 SO)
Kershaw is the third pitcher in the last 40 years to throw a no-hitter at any point in a season vs. the team that entered the day with the majors’ best BA . The others: Nolan Ryan vs. Toronto on 5/1/1991 and Henderson Alvarez vs. Detroit on 9/23/13.
Why Clayton Kershaw Is Entering The All-Time Pitching Elite
That’s right, the Rockies came into the game leading MLB in batting average, hits, total bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They were also first in the NL in runs and home runs.
The most important fact: Kershaw is the first MLB player in history with 15 Ks without allowing a single hit or walk.
The best part about re-watching this last out is seeing his wife tearing up in the stands.
Kershaw had this to say on Twitter:
Don’t know if this will ever sink in. What an amazing night. Thankful to celebrate with the fans in LA.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
