by Megan Garcia
The Dodger Stadium parking lot was mostly full of empty vehicles before Wednesday’s actual first pitch.
Clayton Kershaw emerged from the dugout to start his pre-game warmups for his pursuit of 3,000 career strikeouts and people were already at their seats. As he threw, most of the people stood up just to watch pitches that didn’t count.
Because it wasn’t just a potential milestone they were about to see, it was a personal milestone for them as well.
Fans hung on to every pitch from the future Hall of Famer. Their cheers turned into roars whenever he reached a two-strike count. They erupted when he finally completed the historical feat — a called strikeout against the White Sox’s Vinny Capra to end the sixth, inking Kershaw’s name with 19 other pitchers to throw 3,000 strikeouts in their career.
“I think the fans’ reactions, more than anything, it was so special,” Kershaw said. “Before the game, feeling the energy in the crowd — it was palpable. You could feel it.
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“And then after the fifth inning, going back out for the sixth, that crowd ovation was something I’ll never forget.”
Nicky Barragan, a Dodger fan donning a Kershaw T-shirt and blue Dodger cap, smiled when she thought about her godfather’s scouting report from 2008 about a young left-handed rookie.
He was certainly right — Kershaw was going to be somebody special.
Seventeen years after learning about the up-and-coming southpaw, Barragan stood in Loge Section 121 for six innings to watch that rookie turned future Hall of Famer go for history.
Her eyes were still watery minutes after Dodger Stadium’s six-minute standing ovation for Kershaw’s 3,000th career strikeout. It was a personal moment for the 38-year-old Dodger fan. For Barragan, it felt like her buddy was on the mound.
“It’s really beautiful to see how far he’s come,” Barragan said.
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Jesse Reynoso, Barragan’s boyfriend, had his eyes on Kershaw before the left-hander debuted with the №54 on his back on May 25, 2008. He remembered seeing the word ‘prospect’ accompanying Kershaw’s name leading up to his first career start.
Reynoso’s nerves were already high before the game’s first pitch. There was no way the 35-year-old would miss his favorite pitcher — the player he grew up with — to achieve another milestone in his career.
“I sold my tickets to his no-hitter game because I was at work,” Reynoso said. “I was upset. That was the one year I had season tickets here, and I sold those tickets.”
Eleven years after the no-hitter, Reynoso experienced a redemption moment.
A trio of high school buddies, and lifelong Dodger fans, were pumped to have witnessed Kershaw’s 3,000th strikeout. Chris Wade, Matt Saddler and Jason Wakefield used to cut out from school early to watch Dodger games in the late 2000s. Whenever the Texas native would toe the rubber, it was necessary to be at Dodger Stadium or planted in front of a TV screen.
“He’s our version of Sandy Koufax.” Wakefield said.
When asked how much it meant to them to experience Kershaw’s entire career as a Dodger, tears came to the surface of their eyes. They wiped their faces in an attempt to shield their emotions for one of the most accomplished players in baseball history.
“He’s special. It means a lot,” Wade said. “He was a youngster and I’m sure he had opportunities to leave before, but to stick it through with us, the fans, to give us everything is pretty special.”
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Saddler added, “We’ve been Dodger fans since the day we were born. It started with our dads cheering for the Dodgers. For him to start here and to stay loyal to the community, this team, you can’t put it into words.”
The support for the longtime Dodger pitcher wasn’t a surprise for Dave Roberts. Since 2016, Roberts has been in the manager seat as Kershaw has authored a legendary career. Wednesday was the culmination of 18 years’ worth of support.
“They’ve seen the whole evolution. They’ve been with him through this entire step of the way,” Roberts said. “The buzz (on Wednesday) felt a little bit like a playoff game. All the fans were into it from every pitch, certainly when he got to two strikes. Our fans are certainly invested in №22 and rightfully so.”
Kershaw’s 3,000th strikeout was also personal for Dodger fans was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.