As the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) season begins, several players are poised to achieve significant milestones, including Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who are nearing 3,000 strikeouts.
Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young award winner and left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has 2,641 strikeouts to his name as he enters the 2023 season. The 33-year-old has averaged over 200 strikeouts per season since 2011 and needs just 359 more to reach the 3,000-strikeout milestone. If Kershaw can maintain his form, he could become one of the youngest players to reach the 3,000-strikeout mark.
Meanwhile, Greinke, a right-handed pitcher for the Houston Astros, has 2,776 strikeouts and needs just 224 more to reach 3,000. The 38-year-old has had a long and successful career, winning the Cy Young award in 2009 and earning six All-Star nods.
In addition to Kershaw and Greinke, there are several other players to watch as they approach significant milestones in the 2023 season. Albert Pujols, the 43-year-old designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is closing in on 700 home runs, with 696 to his name as he enters the season. If he can hit four more home runs, he will become just the fifth player in MLB history to reach the 700-home run milestone.
Another player to watch is Miguel Cabrera, the 39-year-old first baseman for the Detroit Tigers. Cabrera needs just 13 home runs to reach 500 for his career, which would make him the 28th player in MLB history to reach that milestone. Cabrera has been one of the game’s most consistent hitters over the past decade, with 11 All-Star selections and two MVP awards to his name.
Other players who could reach significant milestones in 2023 include Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros, who is 18 wins shy of 300 career victories, and Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, who is 34 hits away from 2,000 for his career.
As the 2023 season gets underway, fans will be keeping a close eye on these players as they chase down these impressive milestones.