Clayton Kershaw has one more start in historic season

Clayton Kershaw makes his final regular season start on Friday night against the Rockies. As the 2013 National League Cy Young Award favorite wraps up his masterpiece campaign, here are a few notes and statistics for the Dodgers' ace left-hander.

If Kershaw records at least 11 outs on Friday he will set a new career high in innings pitched, surpassing the 233⅓ innings hew threw in 2011.

Kershaw leads the major leagues with a 1.88 ERA, trying to become the first person since Greg Maddux (1993-1995) to lead the majors in ERA for three straight seasons. Kershaw could allow seven earned runs without recording an out on Friday and his ERA would still be better than Jose Fernandez's 2.19 mark, which is second.

The only other pitcher besides Maddux to lead MLB in ERA for three straight seasons was Lefty Grove (1929-1931).

The Dodgers have only had nine pitching seasons with an ERA under 2.00 since 1901, and only Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965-66) has done it in the live ball era (1920-present). To stay under 2.00, Kershaw needs to...

• Record one out if he allows three earned runs (he'd be at 1.9957 with three earned runs and no innings pitched)
• Pitch 4⅓ innings if he allows four earned runs
• Pitch 9⅓ innings if he allows five earned runs (five ER in nine IP means 1.9958)

Kershaw has 224 strikeouts, a 10-strikeout lead in the National League over Adam Wainwright, who will start for the Cardinals on Sunday. Kershaw led the NL is strikeouts in 2011, and could join Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965-66), Don Drysdale (1959-1960, 1962) and Dazzy Vance (1922-28) as the only Dodgers to lead the league in strikeouts in multiple years.

Unless Kershaw allows 29 earned runs without recording an out on Friday, he will have a fifth consecutive season with an ERA under 3.00. The only other Dodgers to do that were Koufax (1962-66) and Nap Rucker (1907-1913).

Kershaw leads the major leagues with a 0.922 WHIP, vying for his third straight year leading the NL. Allowing six walks/hits in five innings Friday night, for instance, would keep him below Matt Harvey of the Mets (0.931). The only other Dodger to lead the NL in WHIP in three straight years was Koufax (1962-1965).

Kershaw in his last 80 starts has a 2.01 ERA, and has averaged 7.10 innings per start.

In September Kershaw's ERA is 3.12, by far his worst month of the season. June was the only other month this season his ERA was above 1.97.

Against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium Kershaw is 4-2 with a 1.75 ERA, and in five of his nine home starts against Colorado he did not allow a run.

Game info

Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday