Kyle Freeland was a 22-year-old rookie pitching in Grand Junction when Clayton Kershaw painted his masterpiece against the Rockies.
On June 18, 2014, at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw pitched a no-hitter against Colorado that included 15 strikeouts. He came one play — a throwing error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez in the seventh inning — away from perfection.
“I don’t think I saw that game, but I remember reading about it, and I saw the highlights,” Freeland recalled. “It was an amazing game, from an amazing pitcher.”
Thursday afternoon, the 37-year-old Kershaw is scheduled to start against the Rockies at Coors Field. He’ll take the mound needing eight strikeouts to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, becoming the 20th member of that illustrious club. Colorado lefty Austin Gomber will take the mound for Colorado.
Freeland wasn’t sure he would ever see Kershaw pitch in person again at Coors Field, but Kershaw enters Thursday’s start pitching well with a 3-0 record and a 3.31 ERA over seven starts. Kershaw could pitch again at Coors when the Dodgers return for a four-game set from Aug. 18-21, but there are no guarantees he’ll ever compete again in the hitters’ paradise.
“When I think of ‘Kersh,’ I think of his skill and also his longevity,” said Freeland, Colorado’s 32-year-old lefty. “A lot of people thought his career was over four years ago, but he’s still going. Hats off to him for grinding through a ton of pain, tough conversations, a lot of doubt, and a lot of hope.
“You have to give him all of the credit he deserves. He’s going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he’s a career Dodger.”
What’s the one pitch that Freeland thinks about when he thinks about Kershaw?
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Will Kershaw reach 3,000 K’s on Thursday? His high strikeout game this season is seven, at St. Louis on June 8. The lefty has succeeded at Coors Field but rarely dominated, going 12-8 with a 4.64 ERA over 27 career starts. He’s averaged 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings at Coors.
Kershaw spent the first two months of this season recovering from offseason surgeries to address toe and knee injuries that sidelined him for the Dodgers’ playoff journey last fall that culminated with a World Series title.
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