Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, chosen with only four selections separating them in the 2006 MLB Draft, each boast three Cy Young Awards and are continually enhancing their potential Hall of Fame credentials, evidenced by their shared appearance in the same game on Friday.
The seasoned pitchers, representing the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays respectively, opposed each other for the fifth occasion during their collective 19 years in professional baseball. As has been highlighted recently, their initial encounter took place on September 7, 2008, as a consequence of late alterations following the removal of two other future Hall of Famers, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux, from the lineup.
It marked the first instance in MLB history where two rookie pitchers started against one another and subsequently achieved a minimum of 3,000 strikeouts individually, according to information from MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
On Friday, Kershaw outperformed Scherzer in a contest between teams occupying first place. Both pitchers completed six innings, but Kershaw conceded one fewer run, leading to a 5-1 victory for the Dodgers.
The pivotal hit was delivered by Mookie Betts, another potential Hall of Famer, in the fifth inning against Scherzer. The former MVP ended his recent period of low performance with a two-run home run, his first since July 7.
Kershaw’s victory puts him level with a former Dodgers teammate in terms of career wins, both now holding 218. The game also saw him strike out Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a significant event because Kershaw previously faced Guerrero’s father, Vladimir Sr., when he was 21 years old.
Scherzer and Kershaw are the 19th and 20th pitchers, respectively, to reach 3,000 strikeouts during their careers, with Kershaw achieving this milestone earlier in the current season. According to MLB.com, Friday’s game was only the fourth time in MLB history that two pitchers, each already having accumulated 3,000 strikeouts, faced each other. The other three occurrences were:
• Sept. 6, 2023: Scherzer vs. Justin Verlander
• Sept. 16, 2007: Curt Schilling vs. Roger Clemens
• July 19, 2006: Greg Maddux vs. Clemens
Neither pitcher has consistently reached the heights of their previous Cy Young-winning performances this year, which is not entirely unexpected given that Scherzer is 41 years old and Kershaw is 37. Scherzer currently has a 4.21 ERA for the season, which could be his highest since 2011 when he was still developing his skills with the Detroit Tigers. Kershaw has maintained his effectiveness when healthy, with a 3.14 ERA, although it has been six years since he pitched for 140 innings in a single season.
When they compete against each other, these statistics become less important. Spectators who attended the game will be able to say that they witnessed a contest between Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, and it is this type of experience that creates the rich fabric of baseball. This is why fans eagerly anticipated the Johnson-Maddux matchup seventeen years ago, but ended up witnessing something even more remarkable.
