People will likely point to the no-hitter Clayton Kershaw threw against the Rockies as the reason why he won the National League Pitcher of the Month Award for June.
But, that was really just one of the many.
Sure, Kershaw’s no-hitter performance June 18 was dominant.
His 15 strikeouts tied him with Hall-of-Famer Warren Spahn for the most compiled by a left-hander who threw a no-hitter. And the Elias Sports Bureau says the 26-year-old became the first Major League pitcher ever to strikeout 15 batters without allowing a baserunner by way of hit, walk or hit-by-pitch.
It seemed like Kershaw could hardly believe what he did.
Don't know if this will ever sink in. What an amazing night. Thankful to celebrate with the fans in LA. — Clayton Kershaw (@ClaytonKersh22) June 19, 2014
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
But, that was just one game.
His numbers for the month are staggering. 6-0 record. 0.82 ERA (4 ER in 44 innings). 0.68 WHIP. 61 strikeouts. Four walks. And a 24-inning scoreless streak.
With those stats the no-hitter is just the cherry on top in a month of dominance.
Kershaw’s now 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA on the season and he seems to have found that extra gear that only he has the map to.
In that disastrous start May 17 against Arizona Kershaw got bludgeoned for seven runs in 1 ⅓ innings. In the 57 innings he’s pitched since, he’s allowed a total of seven runs.
Each time he takes the mound now Kershaw's not looking like the next Sandy Koufax. The Dallas, Texas native is becoming the guy who 30 years from now people will be saying about the next up-and-coming lefty, “he’s looking like the next Clayton Kershaw."
