Vin Scully, Dodgers legends deliver Clayton Kershaw message on strikeout title

Clayton Kershaw ascended the Los Angeles Dodgers’ strikeout mountain over the weekend, then kept on pitching, cementing himself as wholly unique among the team’s class of legends.

So many of the names you hear echoed in Dodgers lore feel so far in the past that detailing their careers is like reading Greek mythology to your children. Not Kershaw, though. The man with the most strikeouts in Dodgers franchise history passed the milestone, doffed his cap, then went right back to pitching, attempting to add to his total with every two-strike toss.

And, in the wake of his accomplishment, the Dodgers had something special prepared, forging a stronger connection with the names of the past.

The team’s Twitter account released a video featuring words of wisdom and congratulations from Dodger pitching luminaries like Orel Hershiser, Fernando Valenzuela, and Daron Sutton, son of the deceased great Don Sutton, to salute Kershaw on his ongoing climb up the record books.

And, of course, the video was capped off by special messages from legendary Spanish language broadcaster Jaime Jarrin, as well as Vin Scully, who took the time to once more draw the line between Kershaw, Sandy Koufax, and that beautiful letter “K”.

Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw got message from team’s greats after setting LA’s strikeout record.

How ’bout that?

Sadly, the one notable name we didn’t hear from in the video above was Koufax himself who, contrary to popular belief, was not the Dodgers’ all-time strikeout leader prior to Kershaw’s big move. Koufax’s career was cut far too short; Kershaw actually passed Sutton, who passed Big Don Drysdale back in 1979.

Koufax has been a bit absent in recent years as the pandemic has forever altered our norms, especially for those of an advanced age. According to Dave Roberts, though, the historic left-hander still never misses a Kershaw start from home.

Our continued good wishes go out to the most dominant left-hander in Dodgers history, who surely enjoyed being associated once again with Kershaw in the wake of his memorable strikeout.

And now … the 34-year-old Kershaw can simply continue on, still at the top of his game and holding a remarkable 0.696 WHIP through April. Sometimes, the greats age, but it’s barely perceptible. Kershaw has certainly looked like a throwback version of himself thus far during his record-redefining campaign.

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