Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Reaches 1,500 Career Innings in Win over Phillies

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw reached 1,500 career innings during Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, recording his first complete game of the season in the process, with 13 strikeouts and eight hits allowed.

He's the 732nd player to throw 1,500 career innings, but only Tom Seaver had both a lower ERA and more wins at the time he reached the milestone, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com). Kershaw owns a 104-55 record and 2.51 ERA, compared to Seaver's marks of 106-59 and 2.39 at the 1,500-inning plateau.

Seaver wasn't able to maintain that ERA throughout a lengthy career, so Kershaw's 2.51 mark is the best for any pitcher in the live-ball era with 1,500-plus innings, per Lee Sinins of Complete Baseball Encyclopedia.

Coming off back-to-back Cy Young-winning seasons, the 27-year-old lefty has fallen a bit below his recent standards this year, posting a 6-6 record and 2.85 ERA through 18 starts.

To be fair, he also has a sterling 160-27 ratio of strikeouts to walks through 123 innings, putting him on pace to finish the season with 301 strikeouts in 232 innings.

Of course, even if he hits 300 strikeouts and improves his record and ERA, Kershaw may have a tough time catching Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer in the race for the National League Cy Young Award.

Scherzer owns a 2.12 ERA and 9-7 record through 17 starts, with a 143-13 ratio of strikeouts to walks over 123.1 innings. He also has three complete games and two shutouts, including a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 20.