Facing White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra in the top of the sixth inning, Kershaw, on a 1-2 count, delivered a slider for a strikeout looking—and the historic achievement. Up in the stands, his wife Ellen raised one arm in the air and burst into tears as his children jumped up and down in excitement.

There is a new member of the 3,000-strikeout club. On Wednesday night, Los Angeles Dodgers icon Clayton Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in baseball history to record 3,000 career strikeouts, and only the fourth left-hander. He fanned Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox for the milestone strikeout.

More people have flown to the moon than have struck out 3,000 major league hitters. And for Clayton Kershaw entering such an elite club will be a big piece of his legacy.