caption bats birth_place debutyear statyear statvalue image_size team position statlabel debutdate birth_date number image article_title debutteam name throws
kershaw with the los angeles dodgers left dallas , texas 2008 august 15 , 2015 108 -- 55 2.47 1,650 1.04 280px los angeles dodgers starting pitcher win -- loss record earned run average strikeouts whip may 25 19 march 1988 22 clayton kershaw on may 20 , 2015.jpg clayton kershaw
 los angeles dodgers clayton kershaw left
clayton kershaw

clayton edward kershaw -lrb- born march 19 , 1988 -rrb- is an american professional baseball pitcher for the los angeles dodgers of major league baseball -lrb- mlb -rrb- .
a left-handed starting pitcher , kershaw has played in the major leagues since 2008 , and his career earned run average -lrb- era -rrb- is the lowest among starters in the live-ball era with a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched .
he is also a three-time cy young award winner and the 2014 national league most valuable player .
kershaw was drafted seventh overall in the 2006 mlb draft .
he worked his way through the dodgers ' farm system in just one full season , and reached the majors at 20 years old .
when he debuted in 2008 , he was the youngest player in mlb , a title he held for one full year .
in 2011 , he won the pitching triple crown and the national league cy young award , becoming the youngest pitcher to accomplish either of these feats since dwight gooden in 1985 .
kershaw pitched a no-hitter on june 18 , 2014 , becoming the 22nd dodger to do so .
being a left-handed strikeout pitcher and playing for the los angeles dodgers , kershaw has often been compared to hall of fame pitcher sandy koufax .
he became the first pitcher in history to lead mlb in era for four consecutive years when he did so in the 2011 through 2014 seasons .
off the field , kershaw is an active participant in volunteer work .
he and his wife , ellen , launched `` kershaw 's challenge '' and wrote the book `` arise '' to raise money to build an orphanage in zambia .
he has been honored with the roberto clemente award and the branch rickey award for his humanitarian work .
