Kershaw in the 3K club: Where does he rank among pitchers with the most strikeouts?

Clayton Kershaw Joins the Exclusive 3,000 Strikeout Club

The 3,000 strikeouts club has added a new member. Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers struck out Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox in the sixth inning on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, becoming the twentieth pitcher in baseball history to reach this milestone.

Although the 3,000 strikeouts club doesn’t generate the same expectation as its batting counterpart, it’s even more exclusive. Only 20 pitchers have achieved this feat, while 33 players have reached 3,000 hits.

When analyzing the list of pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts and Kershaw’s position on it, several key aspects stand out.

• None of the club members pitched at Ebbets Field, at least in a regular season game. This reflects the relative novelty of this achievement in baseball. The Dodgers moved from Brooklyn after the 1957 season, and at that time, Walter Johnson was the only member of the 3,000 strikeout club.
• Kershaw currently has the fewest innings pitched of any club member, although he is likely to eventually surpass Pedro Martínez.
• Kershaw holds the highest winning percentage (.697) and the best ERA+ (155) of the 20, although his advantages over Martínez (.685 and 154) are minimal.
• Kershaw leads in Game Score average (61.9) and is tied for second (with Bob Gibson) in quality start percentage (68%), only surpassed by Tom Seaver (70%).
• Kershaw lags slightly behind in bWAR, with 77.1, ranking 16th among this group of future Hall of Fame members.

But where exactly does Kershaw rank in the 3,000 club? To answer this question, a ranking has been created that considers various factors, including the “FWP” (a proprietary metric), the Game Score, and the win percentage.

Ranking of the best pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts

Below is the ranking of the best pitchers with 3,000 or more strikeouts, according to the mentioned criteria:

1. Roger Clemens
   FWP: 568.8 | Strikeouts: 4,672 (3rd in MLB history)
   Game Score W-L: 477-230 (.675)
2. Randy Johnson
   FWP: 532.9 | Strikeouts: 4,875 (2nd)
   Game Score W-L: 421-182 (.698)
3. Walter Johnson
   FWP: 494.7 | Strikeouts: 3,509 (9th)
   Game Score W-L: 437-229 (.656)
4. Greg Maddux
   FWP: 443.3 | Strikeouts: 3,371 (12th)
   Game Score W-L: 453-287 (.612)
5. Nolan Ryan
   FWP: 443.1 | Strikeouts: 5,714 (1st)
   Game Score W-L: 467-306 (.604)
6. Max Scherzer
   FWP: 385.7 | Strikeouts: 3,419 (11th)
   Game Score W-L: 315-145 (.685)
7. Justin Verlander
   FWP: 385.0 | Strikeouts: 3,471 (10th)
   Game Score W-L: 349-190 (.647)
8. Pedro Martínez
   FWP: 383.5 | Strikeouts: 3,154 (15th)
   Game Score W-L: 292-117 (.714)
9. Steve Carlton
   FWP: 379.8 | Strikeouts: 4,136 (4th)
   Game Score W-L: 420-289 (.592)
10. Tom Seaver
    FWP: 371.3 | Strikeouts: 3,640 (6th)
    Game Score W-L: 391-256 (.604)
11. Clayton Kershaw
    FWP: 370.9 | Strikeouts: 3,000 (20th)
    Game Score W-L: 301-137 (.687)
12. Don Sutton
    FWP: 370.6 | Strikeouts: 3,574 (7th)
    Game Score W-L: 437-319 (.578)
13. Ferguson Jenkins
    FWP: 353.8 | Strikeouts: 3,192 (14th)
    Game Score W-L: 363-231 (.611)
14. Gaylord Perry
    FWP: 335.6 | Strikeouts: 3,534 (8th)
    Game Score W-L: 398-292 (.577)
15. Phil Niekro
    FWP: 332.5 | Strikeouts: 3,342 (13th)
    Game Score W-L: 408-308 (.570)
16. CC Sabathia
    FWP: 323.2 | Strikeouts: 3,093 (18th)
    Game Score W-L: 339-221 (.605)
17. Bob Gibson
    FWP: 321.0 | Strikeouts: 3,117 (16th)
    Game Score W-L: 305-177 (.633)
18. Bert Blyleven
    FWP: 320.2 | Strikeouts: 3,701 (5th)
    Game Score W-L: 391-294 (.571)
19. Curt Schilling
    FWP: 307.1 | Strikeouts: 3,116 (17th)
    Game Score W-L: 281-155 (.644)
20. John Smoltz
    FWP: 273.8 | Strikeouts: 3,084 (19th)
    Game Score W-L: 290-191 (.603)

Kershaw joins this prestigious group, solidifying his place among the best pitchers of all time. His dominance, consistency, and efficiency make him a worthy member of the 3,000 strikeout club.