LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw retired Lenyn Sosa of the Chicago White Sox on three pitches for his 2,999th strikeout in the fifth inning on Wednesday night, leaving him one short of 3,000 in his 18-year career, all spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“It’s the last box for Clayton to check in his tremendous career,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “He’s never been a person to look for kind of acknowledgment or attention, but he’s earned that whether he likes it or not.”
Sosa fouled off Kershaw’s first two pitches before striking out on a 72-mph curveball to end the inning.
Kershaw came into the game needing three strikeouts to become the 20th pitcher in history to reach 3,000.
In the third, Miguel Vargas took called strikes on his first two pitches before he swung and missed on another 72-mph curveball from his former Dodgers teammate.
The White Sox swung aggressively against Kershaw, who gave up a two-run homer to Austin Slater and two more runs as Chicago led 4-2 after five innings.
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