Kershaw claims playoff strikeouts record

Debate his results all you’d like, but there’s no debating this: Clayton Kershaw is Major League Baseball’s all-time postseason strikeout king.

Debate his results all you’d like, but there’s no debating this: Clayton Kershaw is Major League Baseball’s all-time postseason strikeout king.

Kershaw struck out six in Game 5 of the World Series and now has 207 in postseason play, breaking the record of 205 set last year by the Astros’ Justin Verlander.

Kershaw caught Joey Wendle looking in the second inning then got Mike Zunino (looking) and Brandon Lowe (swinging) in the third. The record-tying strikeout came on a whiff of Willy Adames in the fourth, and Kevin Kiermaier went down swinging in the fifth to put Kershaw alone atop the leaderboard. Zunino fanned in the fifth for Kershaw’s final strikeout of the night, before manager Dave Roberts turned to the bullpen in the sixth with the Dodgers holding a 4-2 lead.

Los Angeles’ longtime ace allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, holding the Rays to five hits and two walks.

Asked in the runup to Sunday’s start about individual accolades in October, Kershaw said, “Just win. In the postseason, it’s just about winning.”

Verlander, who last pitched in the playoffs in last year’s World Series, set the mark over 31 games, 30 starts, and 187 2/3 innings over 19 postseason series. He missed the Astros’ playoff run this year because of an elbow injury.

Kershaw’s postseason résumé spans 37 appearances, 30 starts, 189 innings and 20 series. He has been striking out hitters at a rapid rate this year, beginning with 13 strikeouts in a victory over the Brewers in the National League Wild Card Series.

Kershaw then pitched against the Padres in the NL Division Series and the Braves in the NL Championship Series before logging eight strikeouts against the Rays in Game 1 of the World Series to pass Hall of Famer John Smoltz for second all-time in postseason whiffs.

Smoltz was the record-holder prior to Verlander with 199 strikeouts in the postseason.

Adam McCalvy has covered the Brewers for MLB.com since 2001. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and like him on Facebook.