“Imagine that rotation together in their prime” - Fans overwhelmed with image of Clayton Kershaw in frame with legendary Dodgers pitchers
Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Eric Gagne struck a chord with LA Dodgers fans after posing for a picture on Friday. These legendary pitchers have etched their names in the upper echelon of the storied history of the Dodgers.
Clayton Kershaw is the only active pitcher among the five and he is expected to have his name in Cooperstown once he retires as the veteran Dodgers ace has been one of the best pitchers over the last decade.
On Friday, on the eve of the game against the Colorado Rockies, all five pitchers were captured in one frame.
Dodgers fans shared their reactions, most of them applauding their contributions to the franchise.
"Imagine that rotation together in their prime," one fan dreamt big.
"Cy Young winners," one wrote.
"That's a helluva starting five go Dodgers," one fan commented.
It wasn't just the Dodgers fans who reserved appreciation for the pitching greats as fans of other teams also showed affection for the pitchers in the frame.
"I’m a #SFGiants fan, but I have the utmost respect for all of these legendary Dodgers pitchers," one Giants fan commented.
"I don’t like the Dodgers, but wow this is an incredible display of arms in this photo," another posted.
"I hate the dodgers, but that’s a pretty cool pic!" another quipped.
Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw and others define Dodgers rich pitching legacy
Picking the top five pitchers from the Dodgers' history would be hard but the following guys certainly left a historic mark on the franchise:
- Sandy Koufax
- Clayton Kershaw
- Fernando Valenzuela
- Orel Hershiser
- Eric Gagne
All these pitchers pitched in different eras but were best known for leading the Dodgers to a lot of success.
Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax played only 12 seasons with the Dodgers due to injuries but those culminated in four World Series titles, three Cy Young Awards, and being named to MLB All-Time team.
Fernando Valenzuela, Member of the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, won the World Series in 1981, the same year he won his only Cy Young Award. He spent almost a decade with the Dodgers, and all six of his All-Star selections came during his tenure with the team.
Orel Hershier, MLB record holder of pitching 59 consecutive scoreless innings, was named the World Series MVP in 1988, helping his team to the title. The same year, he also won the Cy Young Award, and his contributions arguably make him the most clutch starting pitcher in Dodgers history.
Eric Gagne won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2007 and during his tenure with the franchise, he won the Cy Young Award in 2003 to go along with his two NL Rolaids Relief Man Awards in successive years.
Last but not least, Clayton Kershaw, who is still active, was the most dependable pitcher for the Dodgers over the last decade. If not for his postseason struggles, he could have easily gone down as one of the best pitchers in recent MLB history.
He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 and has already passed Koufax on many franchise pitching records.