San Diego general manager A.J. Preller didn’t wait long after Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Dodgers to inform interim manager Pat Murphy that he wasn’t being retained as manager for the 2016 season and beyond.
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws his 300th seasonal strikeout during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, October 4, 2015, in Los Angeles.
He took over in mid-June after Bud Black was sacked. His 3-run homer in the 7th was his 3rd of the year since getting called up from Triple-A El Paso.
NOTES: San Diego’s pitching staff will finish with a club record for strikeouts, 1,393….
“We expected a lot more out of ourselves, but we weren’t able to stay healthy all year”, Upton said.
Kershaw finished with 301 strikeouts and joined former Arizona teammates Randy Johnson (2000-02) and Curt Schilling (2002) as the only pitchers since 2000 to reach 300 strikeouts in a season. “You’re hoping guys just kind of click this time of year, hope everything falls into place – that we execute, the ball bounces our way a little bit and things go our way”. The three-time victor of the National League’s Cy Young Award also became the first Dodger to finish with at least 300 strikeouts since Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax struck out 317 in 1966, his final season. Kershaw, the Dodgers’ likely Game 1 starter in their Division Series against the New York Mets, also locked up the major league innings title.
Kershaw didn’t waste any time going after the mark.
Erlin has pitched well in all three of his career games against the Dodgers, including two starts. He reached 300 on a swinging strikeout of Upton to end the third, earning a standing ovation.
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Los Angeles extended its lead to 2-1 in the fourth when Adrian Gonzalez grounded into a double play, scoring Howie Kendrick, who singled leading off. Justin Turner homered with two outs in the first for the Dodgers’ first run. Seager hit Edwards’ first pitch, a 94 miles per hour fastball, into the right-field bleachers for a solo homer, his fourth of the season. Closer Kenley Jansen allowed a hit and hit a batter before working a scoreless ninth to record his 36th save.
