Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are set to go toe-to-toe once again, 6,179 days and 6,416 strikeouts after their first meeting.
Friday night’s matchup in Los Angeles, when the Blue Jays begin a three-game set with the Dodgers, will mark the fourth time the two Hall of Fame-bound starters will square off in the regular season.
The first came back in September 2008, in a game that was ironically supposed to feature Arizona Diamondbacks legend Randy Johnson and Dodgers great Greg Maddux.
Fans that day had no idea the rookies tabbed to fill those starts would go on to combine for 907 games, 6,461 strikeouts, six Cy Young awards and 19 all-star appearances.
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Watch the Scherzer vs. Kershaw matchup on Sportsnet
The Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers with a marquee mound matchup: Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw. Watch Game 1 on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT.
Comparing achievements
Since that 5-3 Dodgers win, Kershaw has etched himself as an MVP-winner, a World Series Champion and one of the best left-handed starters of his generation, all with one of the most successful franchises over the last decade.
On the other side, Scherzer has moved into the top 15 all-time in strikeouts, picked up two World Series rings of his own, and has become one of the most feared starters in MLB history during notable stints with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals.
But Friday, the two will face-off at the end of their storied careers, with their respective clubs atop their divisions in search of deep post-season runs.
Who will come out on top when they meet for what could be the final time, 17 years later?
|
H2H Stats |
W-L |
GS |
ERA |
SO |
IP |
H |
ER |
HR |
|
Scherzer |
1-1 |
3 |
2.65 |
25 |
17.0 |
12 |
5 |
0 |
|
Kershaw |
1-1 |
3 |
3.71 |
14 |
17.0 |
20 |
7 |
2 |
How both pitchers stack up in 2025
Since beginning the season on the injured list with lingering thumb issues, the 41-year-old Scherzer has solidified himself as one of the Blue Jays’ top starters. He has fired 44 strikeouts over 41.0 innings of work in eight starts and holds a 1.05 WHIP along with a 4.39 ERA.
Kershaw, 37, has held his own for a battered L.A. rotation, racking up 42 strikeouts in 65.2 innings of work with a 1.25 WHIP and a 3.29 ERA. He also missed time at the start of the year with lingering injuries that held him out of the Dodgers’ World Series run in 2024.
Veterans still producing late in careers
Both pitchers are providing more than just serviceable innings during a time where their rotations are heavily relying on them, and this clash is another example where the clubs will ask a lot of their veterans.
The Blue Jays are coming off a three-game shellacking of the Colorado Rockies and will try to keep up their momentum in the midst of a six-game trip out west, 4.0 games up on the Boston Red Sox atop the AL East.
The Dodgers are slowly losing their grip on the NL West, posting a 13-17 record since July 1st, and are 5-5 in their last 10 after dropping the rubber match of a three-game set in St. Louis against the Cardinals.
This highly anticipated duel of Hall of Famers will draw a lot of eyeballs from all over the league, just as the matchup between Cooperstown’s own Johnson and Maddox they had replaced 17 years earlier, would have.
Baseball can be funny sometimes.
