With nine more strikes and three more dispirited batters, Clayton Kershaw would glide past the velvet ropes and into the 3,000 career strikeout club. He can become just the 20th MLB player to do so, out of the 10,000+ pitchers across league history. Kershaw is on the mound tonight; his first-place Los Angeles Dodgers host the hapless Chicago White Sox out in Chavez Ravine.

How to watch Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers
Venue: Dodger Stadium — Los Angeles
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET, Wednesday
TV: MLB.TV (national), SNLA and CHSN (regional)
Streaming: Fubo (try for free, in-market Chicago)
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

With three whiffed White Sox, Kershaw would become just the fourth left-hander to crack the 3K mark. Steve Carlton was the first to do so back in 1981, while Randy Johnson and CC Sabathia both did it in the 21st century. He’d also be the third 3K pitcher to play entirely for one team. Walter Johnson was exclusive to the now-defunct Washington Senators, and Bob Gibson had all 3,117 punchouts repping the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his age-37 season, Kershaw has opened at 4-0 with a respectable 3.03 ERA. He is in the bottom 3 percentile in fastball velocity, a bit startling for the searing southpaw who struck out 301 opponents in 2015. But he’s been able to induce controlled grounders with his slider, and he’s backed by one of the most stacked lineups in Dodgers history.

Chicago’s Brandon Eisert counters Kershaw. The fellow lefty enters Wednesday night at 2-1 with a 4.33 ERA. The White Sox offense is ninth in total strikeouts, and last in MLB with a paltry .220 team batting average.

BetMGM has set Kershaw’s strikeout prop at 4.5. DraftKings has -140 odds on the slider as his 3,000th third strike; curveball is next at +160, followed by fastball (+650), splitter (+3100), sinker (+3100) and changeup (+5000).

From the record books

MLB pitchers with 3,000 career strikeouts:

Nolan Ryan, 5,714 (27 seasons)
Randy Johnson, 4,875 (22)
Roger Clemens, 4,672 (24)
Steve Carlton, 4136 (24)
Bert Blyleven, 3701 (22)
Tom Seaver, 3,640 (20)
Don Sutton, 3,574 (23)
Gaylord Perry, 3,534 (22)
Walter Johnson, 3,509 (21)
Justin Verlander, 3,471 (20, active)
Max Scherzer, 3,419 (18, active)
Greg Maddux, 3,371 (23)
Phil Niekro, 3,342 (24)
Fergie Jenkins, 3,192 (19)
Pedro Martinez, 3,154 (18)
Bob Gibson, 3,117 (17)
Curt Schilling, 3,116 (20)
CC Sabathia, 3,093 (19)
John Smoltz, 3,084 (21)

Most career strikeouts against Kershaw:

Brandon Belt, 30 (62 at-bats)
Paul Goldschmidt, 24 (67)
Carlos González, 22 (47)
Hunter Pence, 20 (91)
Drew Stubbs, 19 (39)
Buster Posey, 19 (113)
Justin Upton, 17 (47)
Ian Desmond, 17 (48)
Troy Tulowitzki, 17 (66)
Wil Myers, 16 (49)

Most successful batters against Kershaw (per OPS, minimum 10 plate appearances):

Adam Dunn
Luis Castillo
Franmil Reyes
Miguel Rojas
Rhys Hoskins
Brendan Rodgers
Fernando Tatís Jr.
Chris Stewart
J.D. Martinez
Gaby Sánchez

Best player to throw a strikeout in both jerseys: Tommy John

Clayton Kershaw strikeout odds

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(Photo of Clayton Kershaw: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)