Dodgers' Kershaw throws 1st career no-hitter vs. Rockies, strikes out 15

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pitched his first career no-hitter in an 8-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. 

The left-hander nearly had a perfect game, except for a seventh-inning throwing error by Hanley Ramirez. The Dodgers' shortstop picked up Corey Dickerson's weak bouncer, but his throw to first was way off the mark, allowing Dickerson to reach second base. 

Kershaw went on to strike out a career-high 15 batters without a walk, throwing 107 pitches en route to the 22nd no-hitter in Dodgers' franchise history. 

In the ninth inning, Kershaw got two quick outs as D.J. LeMahieu grounded out to first and Charlie Culberson flied out to right. Corey Dickerson was the last man standing in between Kershaw and history, but he struck out swinging to end the game. 

[Courtesy: MLB.com]

The two-time Cy Young Award winner is the second Major League pitcher to earn a no-hitter this season. The other being Kershaw's teammate Josh Beckett, who threw his first career no-hitter in a 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on May 25 of this year. 

Related: Reading List: Kershaw's 1st no-no

"I am so amazed," Kershaw said in the postgame interview on the field. "Beckett told me he was going to teach me how to do that, so I have Josh to thank."

Kershaw is the third reigning Cy Young winner to throw a no-hitter, joining Bob Gibson (1971) and Sandy Koufax (1964). Koufax remains the only Dodger to ever throw a perfect game, which he accomplished in 1965. 

The 26-year-old Kershaw improves his record to 7-2 on the season, with a 2.52 ERA.

If you missed the game on Wednesday night, you can watch all 27 outs of Kershaw's no-hitter in this seven-minute video. 

[Courtesy: MLB.com]