For example, Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is in the middle of a Kershaw-like run of dominance, having won the 2024 Cy Young and carrying his team to within a game of the American League Championship Series last year. But Skubal is already 28 and has 786 strikeouts.

On a night that said plenty about the 18-year relationship between Kershaw and the Dodgers and Kershaw and the fan base, the left-hander showed why he stands alone among the 20 names on the list.

More people have flown to the moon than have struck out 3,000 major league hitters. And for Clayton Kershaw entering such an elite club will be a big piece of his legacy.