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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 45 · JANUARY 4, 2027 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #045 · MODERN
Clayton Kershaw — Career
2.48 ERA And The October
Problem
On June 18, 2014, Clayton Kershaw threw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and zero walks — the best regular-
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL season performance of his era.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE IS THE GREATEST PITCHER OF THE MODERN ERA. THE WORLD SERIES HAS A DIFFERENT VERDICT.
Career 2.48 ERA. 4 Cy Youngs. The Best Pitcher Of
His Era. His October Numbers Tell A Different
Story.
KERSHAW CAREER ERA CAREER ERA+ CY YOUNG AWARDS
POSTSEASON ERA WORLD SERIES ERA WORLD SERIES RINGS
Kershaw has a career 2.48 ERA — the lowest of any starting pitcher in the live-ball era with 200+ wins.
He's won 4 Cy Young awards and posted an ERA+ of 165 across 17 seasons. His postseason ERA is 3.91.
His World Series ERA is 4.91. He has won exactly one World Series ring, in 2020, in a shortened season.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Colorado Rockies JUNE 18, 2014
15 0 0 W 8-0
IP K HITS WALKS RESULT
The No-Hitter
NO-HITTER WITH 15 STRIKEOUTS AND ZERO WALKS
Kershaw threw a no-hitter against Colorado on June 18, 2014 — striking out 15 and walking nobody. The only
blemish was an Hanley Ramirez throwing error that prevented a perfect game in the 7th inning. He struck out
the side in the 9th. After the final out, he walked off the mound, sat in the dugout, and cried. He was 26 years
old at the peak of his powers and pitching as well as anyone in the history of the game.
ERA VS ERA 03
Is Kershaw's Postseason Record Fair To Use Against Him?
THE REGULAR SEASON CASE THE OCTOBER PROBLEM
CAREER ERA POSTSEASON ERA
ERA+ VS WORLD SERIES ERA
SAMPLE SIZE NLCS COLLAPSES
17 seasons of dominance Multiple late-game failures
Kershaw has been pulled in crucial postseason moments, given up leads, and left the mound in damaging
situations across multiple October runs. Whether that's his fault or his managers' decisions is debatable.
What's not debatable: his regular season is historic. His October record is complicated. The HOF won't care.
History might.
Does Kershaw's postseason record matter for his legacy?
NO — 2.48 CAREER ERA IS AUTOMATIC HOF YES — OCTOBER IS WHAT SEPARATES LEGENDS
PARTIAL — THE COLLAPSES ARE OVERSTATED HE WON IN 2020 — THAT SHOULD COUNT
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
2016-2019 · THE HIDDEN PAIN
He Pitched Through Disk Herniation In His Back For
3 Seasons Without Telling The Media.
Kershaw pitched through a herniated disk in his back from 2016 through parts of 2019 — missing
time, returning early, and never publicly acknowledging the full scope of the injury until later. His
ERA during that stretch was still 2.84. He was pitching as one of the best in baseball while
managing spinal pain. The October failures during those years came with a context most critics
never had.
I've never wanted anyone to feel sorry for me. You're supposed to go out there and
perform.
— CLAYTON KERSHAW
THE STAT VAULT 05
CAREER ERA CAREER ERA+
Lowest of any pitcher with 200+ wins in 65% better than league average across 17
the live-ball era. seasons.
CY YOUNG AWARDS
STRIKEOUTS IN 2014 NO-HITTER
4 2011, 2013, 2014, 2021. Won the 2014 NL 15
Against Colorado on June 18, 2014. Zero
MVP as well — only the fourth pitcher
walks. 15 K. Perfect game lost on an error.
since 1968.
3.91 CAREER POSTSEASON ERA
The number that defines the debate. His regular season says HOF. October says complicated.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Zack Greinke
MULTIPLE TEAMS · 2004-2023
3.18 CAREER ERA · 226 WINS · 2009 CY YOUNG
Career 3.18 ERA. Cy Young 2009. 20 Seasons. Never Gets Discussed In Any Best-
Of-His-Era Conversation.
Zack Greinke pitched 20 seasons with a 3.18 ERA and won the 2009 Cy Young Award going 16-8 with a 2.16
ERA. He's the quietest great pitcher of the modern era — never a media presence, rarely discussed,
incredibly consistent. His career ERA is almost identical to Kershaw's historical peers.
THE CONNECTION:
Greinke pitched in the same era as Kershaw and got approximately 2% of the conversation. Same
craft, same consistency, completely different profiles. Kershaw is the story. Greinke is the footnote.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Madison Bumgarner pitched 52.2 innings in the 2014 World Series with a 0.25 ERA. The most
dominant postseason pitching run in history.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.