Tracking Races, Winners for Each 2014 MLB Triple Crown Category
As we head into the final weekend of the MLB regular season, we find players from contenders and non-contenders alike battling it out for some individual accolades.
While no hitter has put himself in position to win a Triple Crown, Los Angeles' Clayton Kershaw, the overwhelming favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award (and perhaps the MVP Award as well) sits with the lead in all three pitching Triple Crown categories: wins, ERA and strikeouts.
Has he done enough to hold off the competition?
That's only one of the questions that need to be answered this weekend.
Will a player from one of baseball's worst teams win a batting crown? Can one of his teammates take the lead in the home run race?
We'll be following all the action for you all weekend long, updating these trackers as events go down.
American League Batting Title: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
1 of 12
Final Standings
| Jose Altuve (HOU) | .341 |
| Victor Martinez (DET) | .335 |
| Michael Brantley (CLE) | .327 |
| Adrian Beltre (TEX) | .324 |
| Jose Abreu (CWS) | .317 |
For the first time in franchise history, Houston is home to a batting champion. All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve held off a late charge from Detroit's Victor Martinez to take home the honor.
"I'm pretty excited, but what made me happier is all the support and the things my team has done for me," Altuve told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart when it was all said and done. "After the game, they were happy for me and all came to me and said 'Congratulations,' and that made my season way better."
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 28 at 12:00 a.m. ET
The AL Batting Crown will come down to Sunday, with Jose Altuve holding onto a slim lead over Victor Martinez.
Altuve is a career .357 hitter (5-for-14) against the Mets Bartolo Colon, who is scheduled to start Sunday's contest, while Martinez takes on Kyle Gibson, against who he's a .333 hitter (3-for-9).
- Jose Altuve: 0-for-4 vs. New York (NL), BA drops from .342 to .340
- Victor Martinez: 1-for-2, BB vs. Minnesota, BA rises from .336 to .337
- Michael Brantley: 1-for-4, K vs. Tampa Bay, BA drops from .328 to 327
- Adrian Beltre: 1-for-4, RBI, K vs. Oakland, BA stays at .325
- Robinson Cano: 0-for-3, BA drops from .316 to .315
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:39 a.m. ET
Here's how our contenders fared Friday night:
- Jose Altuve: 1-for-4, R, RBI, K vs. New York (NL), BA drops from .343 to .342.
- Victor Martinez: 1-for-4, RBI vs. Minnesota, BA drops from .337 to .336.
- Michael Brantley: 0-for-3 vs. Tampa Bay, BA drops from .329 to .328.
- Adrian Beltre: 0-for-3, K vs. Oakland. BA drops from .326 to .324.
- Robinson Cano: 0-for-3 vs. Los Angeles, BA drops from .318 to .316
Altuve retains his slim lead over Martinez heading into the season's final two games.
--End of Update---
It's a two-man race between Houston's Jose Altuve and Detroit's Victor Martinez and it's the veteran designated hitter that may have the advantage.
The Tigers finish their season taking on Minnesota, with a pitching staff that owns the AL's highest ERA (4.60) and has surrendered more hits (1,560) than any other team in baseball. Against Friday's starter Anthony Swarzak, V-Mart is a career .235 hitter (4-for-17) with two doubles, three RBI, a walk and two strikeouts.
Altuve and the Astros take on New York at Citi Field, where the Mets have pitched to a 3.29 ERA, the 10th lowest home ERA in the game. He's faced Jon Niese, who he'll see on Friday, only six times, recording a single and a walk.
National League Batting Title: Justin Morneau, Colorado Rockies
2 of 12
Final Standings
| Justin Morneau (COL) | .319 |
| Josh Harriison (PIT) | .315 |
| Andrew McCutchen (PIT) | .314 |
| Buster Posey (SF) | .311 |
| Ben Revere (PHI) | .307 |
Before you blame Justin Morneau for sitting out Colorado's final two games of the season, Rockies manager Walt Weiss has some news:
"I've got him out of the lineup. It's my decision," Weiss told The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. "The way I look at it, the guy has experienced a career-threatening injury and if he's in a position to win a batting title, I'm going to try to make sure he does. Anybody who has a problem with it, then their beef can be with me."
Of the nine Colorado players that have won the NL Batting Crown, Morneau's .319 batting average is by far the lowest, with Michael Cuddyer's .331 mark from 2013 next in line.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 12:12 a.m.. ET
Both Josh Harrison and Justin Morneau are scheduled to face some pretty stiff competition on Sunday as they battle it out for the NL Batting Crown.
Harrison is set to go up against Johnny Cueto, a pitcher he's had surprising success against, hitting .429 (6-for-14) with a 1.252 OPS. Morneau takes on Zack Greinke, a pitcher that has held him to a .200 batting average (9-for-45) with a .523 OPS.
It would appear, at this point, that the advantage goers to Harrison.
- Josh Harrison: 1-for-4, R, vs. Cincinnati, BA stays at .318.
- Justin Morneau: Did not play
- Andrew McCutchen: 1-for-3, RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 K vs. Cincinnati, BA stays at .314
- Buster Posey: Did not play
- Ben Revere: 1-for-5 vs. Atlanta, BA stays at .307
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:33 a.m. ET
How our contenders fared on Friday:
- Josh Harrison: 1-for-4, R, K vs. Cincinnati, BA drops from .319 to .318.
- Justin Morneau: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB; BA climbs from .317 to .319
- Andrew McCutchen: 1-for-4, RBI, K vs. Cincinnati, BA drops from .315 to .314
- Buster Posey: Did not play
- Ben Revere: 1-for-3, RBI, K vs. Atlanta, BA drops from .308 to .307
With his performance, Morneau has moved past Harrision for the lead. Whether he'll be able to hold off the Pittsburgh duo for the rest of the weekend will be fascinating to watch unfold.
--End of Update--
Three former MVPs—Andrew McCutchen, Justin Morneau and Buster Posey—find themselves in the thick of a heated battle for the NL batting crown.
All three trail Josh Harrison, who has seemingly come out of nowhere to become the Robin to McCutchen's Batman in Pittsburgh. Philadelphia's Ben Revere is more well-known for his speed than his swing, but not even he might be fast enough to catch the leaders n this race.
Those leaders (Harrison, McCutchen and Morneau) all find themselves on the road to finish the season, with Colorado visiting Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles while the Pirates take on Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park. While they all have better numbers at home than on the road, they're all still highly productive.
Morneau has hit Roberto Hernandez, who he'll see on Friday, well over his career, going 12-for-38 (.316) with three doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI and twice as many walks (six) as strikeouts (three).
He's not the only one with excellent numbers against Friday's starters, as Harrison has gone 5-for-12 (.417) with a double and solo home run against the Reds' Mike Leake, while McCutchen is a career .275 hitter against the right-hander with a double, two home runs and six RBI to his credit.
American League Home Run Champ: Nelson Cruz, Baltimore Orioles
3 of 12
Final Standings
| Nelson Cruz (BAL) | 40 |
| Chris Carter (HOU) | 37 |
| Mike Trout (LAA) | 36 |
| Jose Abreu (CHW) | 36 |
| Jose Bautista (TOR) | 35 |
| David Ortiz (BOS) | 35 |
For the second consecutive season, a member of the Baltimore Orioles reigns supreme as the AL's most prolific power hitter. Nelson Cruz joins Chris Davis (53 in 2013) and Frank Robinson (49 in 1966) as the only Orioles to lead the major leagues in home runs.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 28 at 12:20 a.m. ET
Jose Abreu smacked his 36th home run of the season, a solo shot off of Kansas City's Danny Duffy, to move into a tie with Mike Trout for third place in the AL. The rest of the field went without putting a ball in the stands, and it appears as if Nelson Cruz's lead is safe.
--End of Update---
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:28 a.m. ET
Trout broke the tie and took sole ownership of third place after going back-to-back with Kole Calhoun in the bottom of the sixth inning off Hisashi Iwakuma.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 10:35 p.m. ET
A relatively quiet night for the leaders as nobody went deep. Only Mike Trout is still playing and has a chance to break the four-way tie for third place tonight.
--End of Update--
A year after Chris Davis became the first player in Baltimore to lead baseball in home runs since Frank Robinson's 49 paced the game in 1966, Nelson Cruz looks to make it two in a row for the Orioles.
Of the players in the hunt, only Jose Bautista and David Ortiz have gone deep against the starters they'll be facing on Friday—Baltimore's Chris Tillman (2 HR) and New York's Chris Capuano (2 HR), respectively.
The rest of the field has struggled against their Friday opposition, hitting a combined .167 (8-for-48) with only one extra-base hit and 16 strikeouts.
.png?w=256)
National League Home Run Leaders
4 of 12
Final Standings
| Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | 37 |
| Anthony Rizzo (CHC) | 32 |
| Lucas Duda (NYM) | 30 |
| Todd Frazier (CIN) | 29 |
| Justin Upton (ATL) | 29 |
Despite having not played in three weeks, Miami's Giancarlo Stanton had built up too large a lead in the NL for any of his counterparts to make up enough ground. The inured slugger becomes the first player in Marlins history to lead the senior circuit in home runs.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 28 at 12:21 a.m. ET
Frazier's time alone in third place was short-lived, as both Duda and Upton were up to the task on Saturday night, creating yet another three-way tie for third place in the NL.
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6:06 p.m. ET
Cincinnati's Todd Frazier moved into sole possession of third place with a two-run jack in the bottom of the seventh inning against Pittsburgh that tied the game 4-4. The Reds would go on to win the game in the bottom of the 10th on a grand slam by Ramon Santiago.
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:42 a.m. ET
None of our contenders went deep on Friday, making Stanton's claim to the home run crown look significantly stronger. While not impossible, the chances of Rizzo smakcing six home runs over the next two days are very, very slim.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 10:37 p.m. ET
As in the AL, it's been a pretty quiet night for the sluggers. Anthony Rizzo is the only contender still playing.
--End of Update--
Despite not playing since getting hit in the face back on Sept. 11, Miami's Giancarlo Stanton is all but assured of being crowned the National League's home run king.
It would take a Ruthian performance by Chicago's Anthony Rizzo, who sits six home runs behind Stanton, to surpass the injured superstar. While you can never say never, it's hard to believe that Rizzo's got that in him, even against a deflated Milwaukee club.
As for the rest of the field, only Cincinnati's Todd Frazier has found any success against the starter he'll face on Friday, hitting .600 (3-for-5) with a pair of home runs against Pittsburgh's Vance Worley.
American League RBI Title: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
5 of 12
Final Standings
| Mike Trout (LAA) | 111 |
| Miguel Cabrera (DET) | 109 |
| Nelson Cruz (BAL) | 108 |
| Jose Abreu (CWS) | 107 |
| Albert Pujols (LAA) | 105 |
In what many believe is a precursor to his first AL MVP Award, Mike Trout became only the second player in Angels history—and the first in more than 30 years—to lead the AL in RBI. Don Baylor led all of baseball with 139 RBI in 1979.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 28 at 12:23 a.m. ET
Jose Abreu picked up a pair of RBI to move within four of Mike Trout for the AL lead on Saturday while the rest of the field was unable to send anyone home.
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:23 a.m. ET
While Pujols was unable to add to his RBI total, Trout was, smacking a solo shot off Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Angels' 4-3 loss.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 10:40 p.m. ET
Miguel Cabrera drove in three runs for Detroit in a losing effort against Minnesota, jumping ahead of Nelson Cruz, who did not play tonight, for second place in the AL RBI chase, one behind Mike Trout. Both Trout and Pujols are still playing.
--End of Update--
Overview
It's baseball's last Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera, who heads into Friday's games with an advantage over the rest of the field.
Cabrera, who trails Mike Trout by three RBI, faces off against Minnesota's Anthony Swarzak, a pitcher he's hit to the tune of a .364 average (8-for-22) with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBI.
The rest of the leaderboard has a combined five RBI against their Friday foes—three from Albert Pujols (against Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma) and two by Jose Abreu (against Kansas City's Jeremy Guthrie).
National League RBI Title: Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers
6 of 12
Final Standings
| Adrian Gonzalez (LAD) | 113 |
| Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | 105 |
| Justin Upton (ATL) | 102 |
| Ryan Howard (PHI) | 95 |
| Adam LaRoche (WAS) | 92 |
It was gong to take a record-setting three-game run by one of his competitors to catch him, and when that didn't happen, Los Angeles' Adrian Gonzalez sits atop the MLB leaderboards with more RBI than any other player.
Going back to the team's roots in Brooklyn, Gonzalez becomes the seventh member of the organization to lead the NL—the third since the team relocated to Los Angeles.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 28 at 12:25 a.m. ET
All the active members of the RBI race in the NL drove in at least one run on Saturday, including Adrian Gonzalez, who maintains an insurmountable 11 RBI lead heading into the final day of the regular season.
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:44 a.m. ET
Gonzalez couldn't add to his lead on Friday, going 0-for-2 before being replaced by Scott Van Slyke.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 10:45 p.m. ET
Upton picked up his 100th RBI for the Braves on Friday night, marking the first time in the slugger's career that he's cracked triple digits in the category. Neither Howard nor LaRoche drove in a run, while Gonzalez and the Dodgers are still early in their game against Colorado.
--End of Update-
I'm calling this race with three games left as it's inconceivable that anyone is going to catch Los Angeles' Adrian Gonzalez.
With his closest competition (Giancarlo Stanton) out for the season and nobody else within 10 RBI, Gonzo will finish the season leading the league in RBI for the first time. His previous high finish came in 2011 with Boston, when he ranked third in the AL with 117.
It's Gonzalez's seventh 100-plus RBI season in his 11-year career, which puts him on equal footing with the likes of Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx and Ken Griffey Jr., among others.
American League Wins: Kluber, Scherzer and Weaver Tie for the Lead
7 of 12
Final Standings
| Max Scherzer (DET) | 18 | None |
| Jered Weaver (LAA) | 18 | None |
| Corey Kluber (CLE) | 18 | None |
Update: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1:18 a.m. ET
Weaver was ineffective against Seattle, allowing nine hits and four earned runs over six innings of work and taking his ninth loss of the season. He finishes the year 18-9, tied with Scherzer (18-5) and Kluber (18-9) for a three-way split of the AL Wins crown.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 9:45 p.m. ET
Kluber picked up his 18th victory of the season on Friday vs. Minnesota, moving into a three-way tie for the lead. He became the first Indians pitcher to win at least 18 games since Cliff Lee won 22 during his Cy Young Award-winning 2008 season.
A bit of foreshadowing as to what's to come for Kluber, perhaps?
It's all on Jered Weaver, who takes the mound for the Angels shortly. Stay tuned, for we'll have our winner in the AL wins race before the night is over.
--End of Update--
By the time we wake up on Saturday, we'll know which pitcher will finish the season with the most wins in the AL. Whether it's one person, two people or three people staking claim to the crown is what remains to be seen.
If you had predicted at the beginning of the season that Corey Kluber and Jered Weaver would be in this situation in late September, you'd likely have been laughed out of the room.
But with a victory over Seattle on Friday night, Weaver would lead the AL in wins for the second time in three years, having shared the honor with David Price, then pitching for Tampa Bay, with 20 wins in 2012. In three starts against the Mariners, Weaver is 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
Should Weaver not factor into the decision or take the loss, Kluber will have a chance to force a three-way tie for the first time since 2009 when the Indians take on Tampa Bay. He's faced the Rays only once this year, throwing 6.2 innings of two-run ball on May 9 for his third victory of the season.
National League Wins Title: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
8 of 12
Final Standings
| Clayton Kershaw (LAD) | 21 | None |
| Adam Wainwright (STL) | 20 | None |
| Johnny Cueto (CIN) | 20 | None |
It seems like it should be more, but for only the second time in his career, Clayton Kershaw finishes the season with more wins than any other pitcher in baseball.
The last time he did it, in 2011, he also won 21 games, the only other season in which he's eclipsed the 20-win plateau. His combined record in those two years? 42-8.
--End of Update--
The battle for most wins in the National League could be over before it begins. We know Clayton Kershaw has this category in the bag, but whether he shares it with St. Louis' Adam Wainwright remains to be seen.
Wainwright is scheduled to start Sunday against Arizona, but the Cardinals could have the NL Central locked up by then, which would make the game relatively meaningless. If that happens, it would make sense for the Cardinals to skip Wainwright, setting him up to start Game 1 of the NLDS.
If he takes the mound, he'll face a Diamondbacks club that he tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout against in May.
Johnny Cueto, while he can't catch Kershaw, will look for the first 20-win season of his career, having fallen one win short in 2012 when he went 19-9, the same record he heads into Sunday's game against Pittsburgh with.
You have to like his chances of pulling it off, having crushed the Pirates in his previous five starts (4-0, 1.89 ERA, 0.97 WHIP).
American League ERA Crown: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
9 of 12
The Contenders
| Felix Hernandez (SEA) | 2.14 | None |
| Chris Sale (CWS) | 2.18 | None |
| Corey Kluber (CLE) | 2.44 | None |
| Jon Lester (BOS/OAK) | 2.46 | None |
Remember how we said the late scoring change in Felix Hernandez's favor was huge?
We weren't kidding.
King Felix tossed 5.1 innings of scoreless ball in his final regular season start for Seattle, enough to jump ahead of Chicago's Chris Sale for the AL ERA crown. He took home the AL Cy Young Award the last time he led the AL in ERA (with a 2.27 mark in 2010)—could this be some foretelling of what's to come?
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5:00 p.m. ET
What looked to be not much of a race just became as close a race as we have among the Triple Crown categories.
Per MLB.com's Greg Johns:
"MLB scoring change now gives error on Felix's dropped bunt in 7-run 5th in last start, takes away 3 ER and puts ERA at 2.18. Sale at 2.17. "
That correction lowers Felix's ERA from 2.34 to 2.18—a huge drop heading into his final regular season start on Sunday.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 9:51 p.m. ET
Kluber's eight scoreless innings against Minnesota on Friday night lowered his ERA by a tenth of a run, moving him ahead of Jon Lester into third place in the AL. It's not enough of a move to overtake Chris Sale, but he's well-positioned to pass Felix Hernandez if the King falters against the Angels on Sunday.
--End of Update--
For all his excellence this season, Corey Kluber's chances of wining the pitching Triple Crown come to an end when we look at ERA. No matter what he does in his final regular-season start, it's impossible for him to get past Chicago's Chris Sale for the top spot.
But Seattle's Felix Hernandez can.
The good news for King Felix is that he takes the mound at Safeco Field, where's he's gone 9-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 16 starts. The even better news is that he faces off against the Angels, a team he has dominated in 2014.
How dominant? How about 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 40 strikeouts over 28.2 innings of work.
National League ERA Crown: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
10 of 12
The Contenders
| Clayton Kershaw (LAD) | 1.77 | None |
| Johnny Cueto (CIN) | 2.25 | None |
| Adam Wainwright (STL) | 2.38 | None |
| Doug Fister (WAS) | 2.41 | None |
| Cole Hamels (PHI) | 2.46 | None |
For the fourth consecutive season, Clayton Kershaw stands above his counterparts as the owner of baseball's lowest ERA. Not even complete game shutouts by Johnny Cueto or Adam Wainwright can get them close to surpassing Kershaw's sparkling 1.77 ERA.
Kershaw becomes the first pitcher to lead the league in ERA in back-to-back-to-back-to-back seasons since Sandy Koufax did it for five straight years from 1962-66.
American League Strikeout King: David Price, Detroit Tigers
11 of 12
Final Standings
| David Price (TB/DET) | 271 | None |
| Corey Kluber (CLE) | 269 | None |
| Max Scherzer (DET) | 252 | None |
With eight strikeouts over 7.1 scoreless innings against Minnesota in his final regular season appearance, David Price jumped back ahead of Cleaveland's Corey Kluber to claim the AL strikeout title. While it's Price's third career 200-strikeout season, it's the first time that he's led the league.
--End of Update--
Update: Friday, Sept. 26 at 9:44 p.m. ET
Kluber put forth yet another dominant performance on Friday night against the Rays, striking out 11 batters over eight scoreless innings to jump over Price for the AL's strikeout lead.
Some food for thought from MLB.com's Jordan Bastian: This was Kluber's 10th start of the season in which he went at least seven innings, allowed two earned runs or fewer and struck out at least 10 batters. That's four more than Clayton Kershaw can stake claim to.
Kluber's outing puts all the pressure on David Price, who as we previously noted, struck out only five Twins his last time out against Minnesota. He'll need six strikeouts to tie his AL Central counterpart, seven to win the strikeout crown.
--End of Update--
Max Scherzer did his best on Thursday night to make this a three-man battle, but his nine-strikeout performance still left him six back of Corey Kluber for second in the AL.
That sets up an indirect showdown between 2014's two best strikeout artists, the only two pitchers with at least 10 games in which they recorded at least 10 strikeouts—Kluber and Scherzer's teammate in Detroit, David Price.
Kluber fanned nine Rays in his only start against Tampa Bay while Price recorded one of his 11 double-digit strikeout performances against Minnesota with 12 Ks on April 22. But he fell flat his last time out against the Twins, fanning only five while getting tagged for five earned runs on Sept. 17, so it's anyone's guess how he'll fare on Sunday.
National League Strikeout Kings: Johnny Cueto and Stephen Strasburg
12 of 12
Final Standings
| Stephen Strasburg (WAS) | 242 | None |
| Johnny Cueto (CIN) | 242 | None |
| Clayton Kershaw | 239 | None |
| Madison Bumgarner (SF) | 219 | None |
| Ian Kennedy (SD) | 207 | None |
| Zack Greinke (LAD) | 207 | None |
With seven strikeouts over 8.1 innings of one-run ball against Pittsburgh on the final day of the season, Johnny Cueto forced his way onto the podium with Washington's Stephen Strasburg as co-strikeout kings in the NL.
It's the first time since 1951, when Boston's Warren Spahn and Brooklyn's Don Newcombe both finished with 164 strikeouts, that the NL has had co-champs.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 12:30 a.m. ET
With seven strikeouts against Miami on Saturday, Stephen Strasburg officially ended Clayton Kershaw's chances of winning the Triple Crown of pitching.
Whether Strasburg can hold onto the league lead, however, won't be known until Sunday when Johnny Cueto gives it one more shot.
--End of Update--
Update: Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1:31 a.m. ET
While he was never going to pass Kershaw, Kennedy struck out six in his final start of the season for the Padres, setting a new career-high while passing Greinke for fifth in the NL.
--End of Update--
Only two players stand between Clayton Kershaw and the NL Triple Crown for pitchers.
Unfortunately for Kershaw, those two pitchers happen to be Johnny Cueto and Stephen Strasburg.
We've already touched on Cueto's dominance of Pittsburgh this season, and he's recorded more than four strikeouts in three of his five starts against the Pirates. Strasburg has only won two of his four starts against Miami, but he's pitched to a 2.92 ERA and struck out 26 batters in 24.2 innings.
Whether Kershaw can pull this off is going to come down to the wire.
Unless otherwise linked/noted, all statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference and are current through games of Sept. 25.
.png?w=480)
