Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw threw the last regular season inning of his Major League career on Sunday, closing the book on one of the best careers for a starter the game has seen in the live ball era.
For proof, look no further than the career ERA+ list, which Kershaw finishes atop, alongside Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.
As pointed out by Dodgers writer Blake Harris, Kershaw and Martinez both retired with a career ERA+ of 154, better than any pitcher since 1920. Lefty Grove is behind them, ranking third on the list at 148, with Rodger Clemens fourth at 143.
For the uninitiated, ERA+ is a standardized measure of ERA that takes into account ballpark factors and the level of offensive production in the league. Like OPS+, 100 is considered average, with points higher and lower counting as above and below average respectively.
Kershaw's 5.1 shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday included seven strikeouts and resulted in his 223rd career win. It ended with him walking off the field to a standing ovation from the Seattle crowd.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman couldn't help but step back and take in the moment.
“For Doc to let me be a part of it in that moment, those are the ones that will choke you up as you think about things you were able to do in your baseball career,” Freeman said, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. “And to be able to take, in my opinion, the greatest pitcher of our generation out of his last regular-season start, I think that might be up there as one of my favorite baseball moments that I’ve had.”
With the Dodgers advancing to the postseason it remains to be seen if Kershaw will have more playoff appearances ahead of him. He is not on Los Angeles' Wild Card roster for their best-of-three series against the Cincinnati Reds but there's always a chance he could appear later on if the Dodgers survive.
