Clayton Kershaw moves three strikeouts away from 3,000 as Dodgers win

DENVER — Clayton Kershaw got to the precipice of history on Thursday afternoon. And now, when he inevitably crosses the 3,000 career strikeout milepost, it will almost certainly happen on his home mound.

In the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Colorado Rockies, Kershaw struck out five batters over a six-inning, one-run start to move to 2,997 punchouts for his career.

For a moment, it seemed as if Kershaw might be able to eclipse the threshold on Thursday. At the end of the sixth inning, he had thrown only 69 pitches while mowing through a free-swinging Rockies lineup.

Alas, manager Dave Roberts gave his 37-year-old left-hander an early hook, turning a narrow late-game lead over to his bullpen — and preserving the opportunity for Kershaw’s milestone moment to happen back at Dodger Stadium during next week’s homestand.

“I would argue there might be a temptation to take him out [today] and let him go for it in front of the home fans,” Roberts said pregame, when asked if he would consider extending Kershaw’s leash to let him chase his 3,000th strikeout on Thursday. “I’m not going to force anything.”

Ever since Kershaw returned from offseason foot and knee surgeries in May, and showed an ability to produce even with a diminished fastball and increasing mileage on his arm, his pursuit of 3,000 strikeouts has felt less like an “if” than a “when.”

Entering Thursday, his career total was up to 2,992, leaving him just eight shy of becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history, and only the fourth left-hander, to join the prestigious 3K club.

“Clayton has done everything the right way — on the field, off the field — over a long period of time,” Roberts said. “I guess ultimately the last box he needs to check for his future Hall of Fame career is that 3,000-strikeout threshold. We’re all waiting in anticipation.”

Over his first two innings, Kershaw quickly inched closer. Thairo Estrada whiffed on a curveball in the first inning. Michael Toglia and Orlando Arcia both went down swinging in the second. And with his pitch count under control, five more strikeouts felt within reach.

Kershaw didn’t get another punchout until the end of the fifth, retiring the side with a slider that froze Braxton Fulford for a called third strike. But in the sixth, he moved within three of history when Tyler Freeman was rung up on a generous outside strike call to finish off an eight-pitch at-bat.

Though it would have required striking out the side, Kershaw was as little as one inning away from No. 3,000.

However, Kershaw never returned to the mound Thursday. His day instead ended after six strong innings, in which his only blemish came on a second-inning home run by Brenton Doyle. His ERA in eight starts this season is now 3.03.

And when he next takes the mound — likely to be at some point during next week’s home series against the Chicago White Sox — he will need only three more punchouts to do something only two pitchers before have ever done: Have a 3,000-strikeout career while playing for only one team.

Ohtani to pitch Saturday

While Kershaw mowed through the Rockies, Shohei Ohtani delivered the biggest swing of the day for the Dodgers, padding what was only a 2-1 lead in the seventh with a solo home run to right, his NL-leading 28th of the year.

The blast came hours after the other big news of the day, with Roberts confirming pregame that the two-way star will make his next start as a pitcher on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

That game will mark Ohtani’s third pitching outing of the season and could be his first in which he goes beyond the first inning. Last week, Roberts hinted at the possibility of Ohtani — who is still building up in his return from Tommy John surgery — pitching into the second inning, but he has continued to leave any final decisions open-ended.