For example, Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is in the middle of a Kershaw-like run of dominance, having won the 2024 Cy Young and carrying his team to within a game of the American League Championship Series last year. But Skubal is already 28 and has 786 strikeouts.

On a night that said plenty about the 18-year relationship between Kershaw and the Dodgers and Kershaw and the fan base, the left-hander showed why he stands alone among the 20 names on the list.

Tom Carroll went to the game to chat with L.A. Times sports reporters and fans to get a sense of what makes reaching 3000 career strikeouts so special.