Clayton Kershaw moved by ovation for breaking Los Angeles Dodgers’ all-time strikeouts record

A sold-out crowd rose to its feet after Clayton Kershaw recorded the 2,697th regular-season strikeout of his career Saturday in the fourth inning, breaking a Los Angeles Dodgers record that Don Sutton held across five decades.

A graphic representing the milestone flashed on the Dodger Stadium video boards, and the roar of 52,613 fans intensified. Play was halted, and Kershaw—famously meticulous, intense and hyper-focused during his start days—finally broke character.

He lifted his cap, patted his chest from the rubber, strolled behind the mound, raised his hat once more, then collected himself before continuing on his outing.

“It’s special,” Kershaw said after producing another solid outing in the Dodgers’ 5-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. “I didn’t expect it. I understand that the Dodgers are a historic franchise and have been around a long time, so the guys that are on that list that I was fortunate enough to pass was a big deal. But I didn’t know that fans would know or honestly care that much. It was special for me. It really was. It was cool to see. I tried to brush it off and keep going, but they wouldn’t let me. It definitely meant a lot.”