Kershaw passes Verlander for all-time playoff strikeout record
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw tallied his 206th career postseason strikeout in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday, passing Justin Verlander for the most in playoff history.
HISTORY!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2020
Clayton Kershaw has passed Justin Verlander for most career Postseason strikeouts! 👏 pic.twitter.com/V544JxHmHd
Kershaw struck out Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier to set the record.
With his 206th strikeout, @ClaytonKersh22 now has the most strikeouts in #postseason history. pic.twitter.com/2P9VHGukAb
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2020
Verlander held the playoff strikeout record for less than a calendar year after passing John Smoltz's longstanding mark just last October. He and Kershaw - who upped his total to 207 with another in the fifth - are the only pitchers with at least 200 career postseason strikeouts.
| Pitcher | K |
|---|---|
| Clayton Kershaw | 207 |
| Justin Verlander | 201 |
| John Smoltz | 199 |
| Andy Pettitte | 183 |
| Roger Clemens | 173 |
"It just means I'm on a great team, man," the 32-year-old told MLB Network's Greg Amsinger postgame. "I've been here a lot. Lots of innings. I'm thankful for that. It's ... just a special opportunity to be on the Dodgers."
Kershaw struck out six batters over 5 2/3 innings in Game 5. The 32-year-old has tallied 37 punchouts over five playoff starts this year.