now 3k

if you had told me at the beginning of the 2021 baseball season that the dodgers would win 106 games, i would have believed you. of course, i would have assumed that they would have then won the national league west, but that didn't happen as we all know.

i would not have believed, however, that a dodger pitcher would surpass 3,000 strikeouts for their career, as clayton kershaw began the season 474 k's short of the milestone, and nobody has ever struck out more than 383 batters in a season. still, a dodger pitcher did pass the 3,000 k mark in 2021, and i have this topps now card as proof:

i also have one of these in my dodger stadium collection. 

i had no inkling of an idea when the season began that the dodgers would be able to add max scherzer to their rotation at the trading deadline, and i suppose that it only became a reality because of an injury to kershaw and the (what was essentially a) suspension of another starter, along with the franchise's deep pockets and stable of prospects.

there was no scherzer card in update this year due to checklist deadlines, but he did get a dodger card in archives.

nice!

while the dodgers still fell short as repeating as world champions, having a pitcher reach 3,000 strikeouts as a dodger for the first time was quite a highlight for me. i can only hope that kershaw gets there as a dodger in a couple of seasons and doesn't follow scherzer out the door this offseason!