By Lou Spirito and Javier Zarracina
Nov. 11, 2014 12:13 PM PT 60 mph 100 80 90 70 60 mph 100 80 90 70 60 mph 100 80 90 70 The tunnel: Extending 4 to 6 feet from the point of release, Kershaw’s “tunnel” is a zone where all his pitches look the same from the batter’s point of view. Release point The fastball accounted for 57% of Kershaw’s pitches in 2014. FASTBALL 1,506 Pitches thrown Opposing batting average: .246 Strikeouts: 60 Avg. Velocity 92.9 mph Kershaw’s “tunnel” Developed to counter the success hitters were having with his fastball. It has a velocity close to that of a fastball but breaks late in the strike zone. SLIDER 709 Pitches thrown Opposing batting average: .150 Strikeouts: 100 Avg. Velocity 87.4 mph Clayton Kershaw relies primarily on three pitches to get hitters out. Kershaw has a natural ability to deliver the pitch 18 mph slower than the fastball, which makes it particularly effective. CURVEBALL 376 Pitches thrown Opposing batting average: .118 Strikeouts: 72 Avg. Velocity 74 mph Strike zone Sources: FanGraphs, “The Physics of Baseball” by Robert K. Aadir. Kershaw’s arsenal Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw won the National Cy Young Award for the third time. Here's a look at why his pitching technique is one of the best: File name: la-sp-1111-kershaw.eps Section: Sports Run date: 11-11-14 Artist: Javier X73388 Size: 2colX74 Reporter approved: Editor approved: P2P slug: 2363174 © Los Angeles Times 
