Clayton Kershaw reached 2,500 career strikeouts in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, a major milestone that puts him in the company of some of the game's greatest pitchers.

Kershaw carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and ultimately allowed only three baserunners in yet another masterful outing this season, lowering his ERA to 1.50 after six scoreless innings. The ERA is the third-lowest in the majors, the lowest of Kershaw's career through his first six starts and the lowest by a Dodgers pitcher through six starts since Kevin Brown in 2001, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

Kershaw finished with eight strikeouts to move his career total to 2,505, passing Christy Mathewson (2,502) for 38th place on baseball's career list.

Kershaw, 32, remained a highly successful starting pitcher over the past three years but was noticeably trending downward, with a slower fastball that was often indecipherable from his slider and left him more susceptible to home runs. This year, Kershaw's fastball is consistently above 90 mph, and both his slider and curveball look sharp, prompting 41 strikeouts and only six walks in 36 innings.

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