Clayton Kershaw
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Early Life and Background
Clayton Kershaw was born in 1988 in Dallas, Texas. After his parents divorced when he was 10 years old, he was raised by his mother. As a child, he was active in youth sports, including Little League Baseball. He attended Highland Park High School, where he played baseball alongside future Major League players Matthew Stafford, Shawn Tolleson, and Jordan Walden. Growing up, his favorite player was Texas Rangers first baseman Will Clark, which inspired Kershaw to wear number 22 in Clark’s honor.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 19 Mar, 1988
- Age
- 32 yrs
- Occupations
- Baseball player
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- Citizenship
- United States of America
- Birth Place
- Dallas
- Education
- Highland Park High School
- Gender
- Male
- Description
- American baseball player
- Spouse
- Ellen Kershaw
- Net Worth 2021
- 110 million
Kershaw comes from a notable family lineage—he is the great-nephew of Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto. His father, Christopher George Kershaw, was a musician who earned a Clio Award for his work in advertising.
MLB Draft and Early Career
In the 2006 MLB Draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Clayton Kershaw in the first round as the seventh overall pick. He progressed quickly through the Dodgers' minor league system, spending only one full season in the minors before making his Major League debut in 2008 at age 20. At the time of his debut, he was the youngest player in the MLB and held that distinction throughout the year.
Los Angeles Dodgers and Career Milestones
Clayton Kershaw has played his entire MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A left-handed starting pitcher, he has consistently been among the league's most dominant players. Since his debut in 2008, Kershaw has compiled historically impressive statistics. He holds one of the lowest career hits allowed per nine innings in the live-ball era at 6.64—the second lowest in MLB history among starting pitchers with a significant number of innings pitched.
In 2011, Kershaw became the youngest pitcher to win the pitching Triple Crown and the National League Cy Young Award since Dwight Gooden in 1985. Three years later, in 2014, he earned his third Cy Young Award and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player, a rare feat for a pitcher.
