Clayton Kershaw's Historic Strikeout Streak Ends as Dodgers Finish July Below .500

On top of the Los Angeles Dodgers posting a losing record in a calendar month for the first time since April 2018, Clayton Kershaw didn't record a strikeout for the first time in 423 regular season starts.

Jul 31, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. / David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday's showdown with the San Diego Padres couldn't have gone worse for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw took the bump for the Dodgers, making just his second appearance this season. The 10-time All-Star got through the first inning without allowing a hit, but things started to fall apart in the second.

Kershaw gave up a single, a walk and a single as the Padres plated their first run of the day. Then, he recorded a throwing error and wild pitch that led to even more damage, as San Diego finished the frame up 4-0.

The Padres tacked on a solo homer, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly before Kershaw finally got the hook midway through the fourth inning. His final line was seven runs, three earned runs, six hits and one walk allowed in 3.2 innings.

Of the 11 outs Kershaw got, not a single one came via a strikeout.

As ESPN's Alden González noted Wednesday night, Kershaw's lackluster performance ended his streak of 423 consecutive regular season starts recording at least one strikeout. The run dated back to his MLB debut all the way back on May 25, 2008.

It was also the longest such streak since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, per González. Tom Seaver previously held the record with a 411-start streak, and Nolan Ryan ranked second at 382.

From ESPN Stats & Info: Clayton Kershaw's streak of 423 regular-season starts with at least one strikeout, which ended today, was the longest since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893. The list ...

Kershaw, 423
Tom Seaver, 411
Nolan Ryan, 382

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 1, 2024

Kershaw's messy outing put the Dodgers behind the eight ball Wednesday, and they went on to lose 8-1. The Padres, as a result, swept the two-game midweek series.

Los Angeles still leads San Diego by 4.5 games in the NL West, and their 63-46 record remains second-best in the National League, but that doesn't take away just how rough of a month July was for the club.

The Dodgers' 11-13 record in July was tied for fifth-worst in the NL. It also marked their first time posting a losing record in a full calendar month since April 2018, according to The Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris.

Per Dodgers Tailgate, the 5.31 ERA the Los Angeles pitching staff posted was the franchise's worst in a July since 1929, when they were still in Brooklyn. The team also had a negative run differential in a month for the first time since September 2017, according to Dodgers Nation.

Had the Dodgers' beat the Padres on Wednesday, they could have salvaged a .500 record in July, but Kershaw's uncharacteristic showing made it difficult to do so. The 36-year-old southpaw is now 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA and -0.4 WAR since returning from his offseason shoulder surgery.

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