As Clayton Kershaw struck out Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra to close the top of the sixth inning and record the 3,000th strikeout of his career, the crowd at Dodger Stadium erupted in celebration. Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, and was met with a standing ovation from the crowd and congratulatory hugs from his teammates.
Among the teammates to embrace Kershaw after reaching this special milestone was Freddie Freeman, who has been counting down the number of strikeouts Kershaw needed to reach 3,000 all season. Since Kershaw returned from injury earlier this year, Freeman has diligently reminded Kershaw after every single start of how many more strikeouts he needs to reach 3,000.
