Gary A. Vasquez–USA Today Sports
I laughed out loud when R.A. Dickey was named the Cy Young award winner last season. Clayton Kershaw, who finished second in the voting, should have won it like he did in 2011. Fast forward to now and the unbelievable southpaw is showing why he could win it this season.
Just ask the Washington Nationals. Well, just ask every smart baseball fan.
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Kershaw pitched 8.2 scoreless innings and struck out 11 batters on Tuesday night to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 victory. Kershaw once again got little run support, but Andre Ethier’s two-run single with two outs in the third inning was all Kershaw and the Dodgers needed.
The win was a nice Band Aid for the Blue Crew, who had lost 10 of their last 12 games. At one point in the victory, Kershaw struck out six consecutive Nationals. His fastball was zipping and his curveball was diving to help retire 25 of the first 28 batters he faced. His ERA at home this season is now a ridiculous 0.80.
He is the MasterLock of baseball — it’s hard to break him. If only Kershaw could pitch every night for the Dodgers.
The lefty is the best pitcher in baseball, and he has been for the last three seasons. Don’t tell me Justin Verlander or Yu Darvish. Don’t say Stephen Strasburg, David Price or Cliff Lee.
During Kershaw’s last 57 starts, he has a remarkable 1.98 ERA. He led MLB in ERA in 2011, 2012 and now in 2013 with a 1.40 ERA. Want more history? Let’s go all the way back to 1920. His career ERA of 2.70 is the lowest by a starter since 1920 with a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched.
Yes, better than Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux or Roger Clemens. And a whole lot better than R.A. Dickey. Wow. Still can’t believe he won the Cy Young last year.
Matthew Muench writes about the Los Angeles Dodgers for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewMuench
