Comparing Clayton Kershaw to the Best Pitchers in Baseball
Kershaw vs. Sale
| K/9 | IP | BB+HBP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kershaw | 10.8 | 136.1 | 20 |
| 2 | Sale | 10.2 | 122 | 30 |
Sale has a slightly better H/9 than Kershaw, helping him keep a low WHIP, but he has walked and hit a combined more batter in 14.1 fewer innings of work. He has also allowed one more home run, which has Sale’s FIP on the other side of the 2.00 mark.
These two are among six of the qualifying starters to have a K/9 over 10.0. Although their K/9 is only separated by 0.6, Kershaw has been able to maintain these numbers over longer starts. Kershaw has averaged a little over seven innings over each start, while Sale has averaged just over 6.66 innings each outing. In addition, Kershaw has thrown three more complete games than him, with neither of Sale’s complete games being shutouts. Sale is keeping a good pace, but it’s going to take a little more for him to dethrone Kershaw.
