Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw was named the winner of the 2011 National League Cy Young Award, an honor presented annually to the best pitcher in each league by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. In 2011, Kershaw accomplished a rare feat, capturing the pitcher’s triple crown, leading the league in wins (21), earned run average (2.28) and strike outs (248). Kershaw has also been honored with the 2011 Gold Glove award, the Warren Spahn Award (for best left-handed pitcher), the Players Choice Award for Outstanding National League Pitcher and The Sporting News’s National League Pitcher of the Year award. He was also a member of the 2011 National League All-Star team.

As great as all of this is, there is much more. Clayton and Ellen Kershaw have hands-on involvement helping children around the world. They have launched Kershaw’s Challenge, personally giving $100 per batter that Kershaw struck out in 2011 to build a new children’s home in Zambia, where they work with the non-profit charity, Arise Africa. For the Kershaws, giving is as important as winning. In fact, Clayton says that as we pursue our dreams, we need to build a relationship with God, build solid relationships with others and become givers from the start. Clayton says, “I want every pitch and every batter faced to be about something more than a game.”