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Clayton Kershaw gets his career WHIP back under 1.000

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

This was a milestone week for Clayton Kershaw, with the left-hander earning his 200th career win on Tuesday against the Mets in his best start of the season. But on Sunday he was also good, and in picking up his 201st win, WHIPping up the Dodgers’ first winning streak in two and a half weeks.

Kershaw on Sunday against the Cubs allowed three runs (one earned) in six innings, striking out six. He only allowed three hits and one walk, which brought his career totals to these:

2,612 innings
1,977 hits
634 walks

Those hits and walks add up to 2,611, which is lower than his innings total, giving Kershaw a career WHIP of 0.999617.

That’s fourth all-time, with a minimum of 1,000 innings. The three players ahead of him are two deadball-era pitchers — Addie Joss and Ed Walsh — and Jacob deGrom, who is three months younger than Kershaw and has pitched just over half the innings of the Dodgers left-hander.

MLB all-time WHIP leaders

Pitcher Years Innings Hits Walks WHIP
Pitcher Years Innings Hits Walks WHIP
Addie Joss 1902-1910 2,327.0 1,888 364 0.96777
Jacob deGrom 2014-2023 1,352.7 1,039 306 0.99433
Ed Walsh 1904-1917 2,964.3 2,346 617 0.99955
Clayton Kershaw 2008-2023 2,612.0 1,977 634 0.99962
Mariano Rivera 1995-2013 1,283.7 998 286 1.00026
minimum 1,000 innings | through April 23, 2023 Source: Baseball Reference

Where Kershaw ends his career remains to be seen, but to allow fewer hits and walks than innings pitched into his 16th season is remarkable.

Sunday marked the first time Kershaw ended a game with a career WHIP at or under 1.000 since September 1, 2018. He’s done so nine different times in his career, the first seven of which came in a four-month stretch during the 2017 season.

Kershaw first got his WHIP under one on May 23, 2017. After that game against the Cardinals, in his 272nd career start and 275th career game, Kershaw in his career up to that point gave up 1,346 hits and 485 walks in 1,831⅔ innings, good for a WHIP of 0.99964.

“I’m not worried about the career stuff,” Kershaw said at the time. “Eventually, you’ll get to look back on it all. Hopefully, I’m right in the middle of all that stuff.”

Kershaw in September 2017 ended three straight starts with a career WHIP of exactly 1.000, and also did so on April 15, 2018. Kershaw’s first taste of a 1.000 WHIP on the dot was in his major league debut on May 25, 2008, when he allowed five hits and a walk in six innings.

Kershaw in 2018 had a 1.043 WHIP, his highest in the last 13 years. Since then he’s been hovering around 1.000 in his career, including WHIPs of 0.840 in the shortened 2020 season and 0.942 last year. This year, Kershaw has a 0.839 WHIP through five starts.

Here are the 14 games after which Kershaw had a career WHIP of 1.000 or lower.

Clayton Kershaw’s career WHIP at 1.000 or lower

Date Career game Career IP Career H Career BB WHIP
Date Career game Career IP Career H Career BB WHIP
May 25, 2008 1 6.0 5 1 1.00000
May 23, 2017 275 1,831.7 1,346 485 0.99964
Jul 4, 2017 283 1,883.3 1,383 499 0.99929
Jul 9, 2017 284 1,892.3 1,389 499 0.99771
Jul 18, 2017 285 1,899.3 1,396 500 0.99824
Jul 23, 2017 286 1,901.3 1,396 501 0.99772
Sep 1, 2017 287 1,907.3 1,398 501 0.99563
Sep 7, 2017 288 1,911.0 1,404 504 0.99843
Sep 12, 2017 289 1,917.0 1,412 505 1.00000
Sep 18, 2017 290 1,923.0 1,416 507 1.00000
Sep 24, 2017 291 1,931.0 1,424 507 1.00000
Apr 15, 2018 296 1,961.0 1,451 510 1.00000
Sep 1, 2018 313 2,066.3 1,539 527 0.99984
Apr 23, 2023 406 2,612.0 1,977 634 0.99962
Career numbers at the end of each start Through April 23, 2023