There was actually laughter in the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse that morning at Dodger Stadium before facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cardinals didn’t have any tape of the 20-year-old kid who was going to make his major-league debut that afternoon, May 25, 2008. No one had any scouting reports. No one faced him in the minors. So, they began asking each other if anyone knew anything about the Dodgers’ prized prospect.
“Someone said they heard that he could be the next Rick Ankiel,’ Schumaker tells USA TODAY Sports. “No way. There is no way his stuff could be as good as Rick Ankiel’s before he became a position player. So we are laughing that someone thought he could have a curveball as good as Ankiel’s.’
Schumaker was leading off for the Cardinals and stepped to the plate with a game plan.
“I figured I was going to ambush him and welcome him to the big leagues,’ Schumaker says. “The first pitch was an elevated fastball. It was harder and faster than I thought, and I swung and missed. Then he threw a curveball. It was something different. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.
“And then, well, I struck out.’
Now, 17 years and one month later – 6,247 days to be exact – that strikeout is immortalized in baseball history.
It was Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s first career strikeout, making Schumaker his first victim.
Kershaw since has produced 2,996 more strikeouts in his future Hall of Fame career, and with three more strikeouts on Wednesday night against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium, he can become only the 20th pitcher in baseball history to strike out 3,000 in his career.
Kershaw, 37, the 10-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young winner, two-time World Series champion and MVP, will be only the fourth left-hander in baseball history to achieve 3,000 strikeouts, joining Hall of Famers Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson and CC Sabathia. Most important to Kershaw, he’ll be only the third to produce 3,000 strikeouts wearing just one uniform, accomplished only by Walter Johnson and Bob Gibson.
“Clayton Kershaw,’ Schumaker says, “is the most dominant pitcher I’ve ever played against in my career. I’ve never seen anybody like him.
“If anybody deserves a statue outside Dodger Stadium it’s Clayton Kershaw. How cool is it for him to have just one uniform, especially in LA, and then have a statue of him in front of that stadium?
“It’s unbelievable what he’s meant to that organization, and really, what he’s meant for baseball.’
Schumaker, a career .278 hitter who hit .300 or better three consecutive seasons and never struck out more than 69 times in a season, faced Kershaw six more times in his career, including twice more that afternoon.
He finished 0-for-7 off Kershaw. And struck out six times.
“The only time I even made contact off him,’ Schumaker says, “I grounded into a double play. How’s that?’
So, does Kershaw ever bring up to Schumaker that he was his first strikeout victim?
“Oh, only every time I see him,’ laughs Schumaker, now a senior advisor with the Texas Rangers. “He remembers. And how could I ever forget?
“You don’t know at the time, it being his first start, but he just has that special unique look, and with the combination of his stuff, it’s just so different. I knew he had a chance to be special, but I didn’t know it was going to be 3,000 strikeouts, three Cy Young awards and 16 years in the big leagues special.’
Schumaker, who was traded to the Dodgers before the 2013 season, fully grasped Kershaw’s greatness in their first game together on Opening Day against the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw threw a four-hit, complete-game shutout.
“I remember just looking at each other on the bench,’ Schumaker says, “What the hell are we watching here? What is this?’ He’s this dominant on Opening Day? What’s the rest of the season going to look like?’
Kershaw went 16-9 with a 1.83 ERA that season, pitching a career-high 236 innings with an NL-best 232 strikeouts, winning his second Cy Young award.
“Just to see him work, and know what kind of person he is,’ Schumaker says, “that’s what makes this so special. He’s the ultimate teammate. He’s the ultimate competitor. And he’s the ultimate person.’
Kershaw, who won the Roberto Clemente Award for his charitable work in 2012, is revered throughout baseball for his generosity, autographing baseballs, jerseys, or whatever is needed for charities, schools and programs.
When Schumaker was trying to help a group of kids from being discouraged during the 2020 COVID summer that cancelled their travel ball season, Kershaw spent an hour on a Zoom call with Schumaker and 15 kids.
“It was one of the most special moments that these kids will always treasure,’ Schumaker says. “That’s why he’s so easy to root for. I can’t wait to watch him get his 3,000th.’
Kershaw will be the first pitcher to achieve 3,000 strikeouts since Max Scherzer in 2021. The next closest to 3,000 strikeout is 36-year-old Chris Sale with 2,528 strikeouts.
“I think it’s cool man,’ says San Francisco Giants 42-year-old starter Justin Verlander, the three-time Cy Young winner, who leads all active pitchers with 3,471 strikeouts and 262 victories. “I think the game should celebrate stuff like that and people lile him because it’s clearly going away. There are very few of us left. So any time you get a moment to celebrate something like that, you don’t know if you’ll ever see it again.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it, and I’ll surely reach out and congratulate him.’
Schumaker, who competed against Kershaw for eight seasons during his career, played with him during the 2013 season, and even managed against him for two seasons while with the Miami Marlins, isn’t about to miss Kershaw’s start either. He plans on plopping down on his couch Wednesday night at home with his 17-year-old son, Brody, who has Kershaw’s autographed jersey hanging in his room, watching history.
“It’s just crazy to see him keep doing this,’ Schumaker says. “You didn’t know if he would even come back after a couple of surgeries. He comes back, and even though he’s throwing 89-91 [mph] now instead of 97, he’s still beating guys inside with his fastball, and pitches with so much intent and conviction.’
Kershaw, who didn’t start pitching this season for the Dodgers until May 17 after undergoing knee and toe surgeries during the off-season, is 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out 29 batters in 38 ⅔ innings. Who knows how much longer he’ll pitch, or how long his body holds out – but the way he’s going, why stop now?
“It’s cool to have moments like these that shake you up a little bit,’ Verlander says. “Getting to that number kind of puts things in perspective. But the great ones don’t rest on their laurels. They keep working hard, put their nose to the grindstone, and want to keep being great.
“That’s Kershaw.’
Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.