Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer wrote spectacular and historical careers on parallel tracks—almost certainly would bring them to Cooperstown, where they retired for five years.
Over the years, these tracks have occasionally crisscrossed. During the 2021 season, the two generations of pitchers were Dodgers teammates who occasionally locked corners as direct competitors. (When we say “competitors,” we mean. Very few pitchers in baseball history are known for their strength.)
So, as these two giants of the sport are ready to get along with it again, let’s dig deeper and answer some burning questions.
How rare are two pitchers strikeouts with more than 3,000 strikeouts between each other?
The 3,000 club is one of the most unique groups in baseball, with Kershaw and Shezer being two recently joined. Both are with the Dodgers: Scherzer returns for a brief stint with the team in 2021 and returns on July 2. They are just the 19th and 20th pitchers, and can reach this outstanding total.
So naturally, a showdown between 3,000 hitters is rarely seen in history. (To be clear here, we are talking about pitchers Has reached 3,000 pointsnot at any time in their career. However, according to Erias Sports Bureau, this is only the fourth time since. Here are the first three, before Kershaw-Scherzer:
•September 6, 2023: Scherzer (Tex) and Justin Verlander (Hou)
•September 16, 2007: Curt Schilling (BOS) and Roger Clemens (NYY)
•July 19, 2006: Greg Maddux (CHC) and Clemens (HOU)
What is the history of their pitching showdown?
As long as both pitchers are playing, this is really just their fifth time against each other, including the fourth in the regular season. Here is a quick review of their previous conflicts:
September 7, 2008 (LAD, Arizona): Both pitchers are rookies and have great hope, but have not yet established their achievements in their profession. A twist in the fate of a pair of Future Hall of Fame (Greg Maddux of the Dodgers and Randy Johnson of the D-backs) led to Kershaw and Scherzer's first confrontation. They gave up three games each, neither of them made any decisions, although Scherzer was more sharp and scored 11 in one walk.
October 7, 2016 (WSH guy): It was the first game in the NL Division Series, playing a long showdown for the two pitchers (partially because Scherzer spent 2010-14 years with Al Central’s Tigers after a trade in Arizona). Kershaw (five innings, three) won, while Scherzer (six innings, four) lost, although none of him had a “A” game. They didn't match again in the NLDS, although Kershaw stood out from the bullpen after a day off after Game 4, ending the series in Game 5 (Scherzer has already started).
April 20, 2018 (LAD's WSH): Scherzer gained the upper hand in this regard, allowing only one victory in six innings. Kershaw (7 innings, four) not only lost, but also surrendered to his fifth inning singles, the only hit-hit pitcher recorded.
April 11, 2021 (LAD's WSH): Less than four months later, Shezhe will become Kershaw's teammate, sent from Washington to Los Angeles in the offseason in a trade deadline trade. But here they are still enemies, and Kershaw (without a division in six) won Scherzer (six, one inning, one inning) with a smaller victory.
So, they moved from rookie opponents to 3,000 hitter pitchers?
Yes. In their first showdown, no one can predict that Kershaw and Scherzer will reach these heights one day. The Dodgers lefty had 77 major league strikeouts on his ledger, which was 43 more than the right hand of the criminal animal at the time. It is far from 3,000 people.
In fact, according to Elias, the 2008 game is now the only instance in Major League Baseball history, with two pitchers fighting each other in rookies and then following at least 3,000 strikeouts.
Another interesting thing about the 2008 game? Although both are active, Kershaw and Scherzer will almost certainly enjoy it in Cooperstown. As of now, according to Elias, as of rookies, only two players have fought against each other on the mound and reached the Hall of Fame (starting in the first year of their careers before 1900). Finally, Kid Nichols faced Cy Young on September 22, 1890. The other was between Nichols and Jesse Burkett earlier on June 18 that year. Burkett became primarily an outfielder after 1890 and was in the hall as a left-handed home. One day, Kershaw and Scherzer will be on this list in 2008.
2008 was a long time ago. Is this important too?
indeed. Again, according to Elias, this is just the 12th instance of two starting pitchers, at least 17 seasons after their first face-to-face meeting. These are now the past five, and it’s incredibly the first three are in the same season.
•2025: Kershaw vs. Scherzer (first game in 2008)
•2007: John Smoltz vs. Greg Maddux (1990)
•2007: David Wells and Jamie Moyer (1990)
•2007: Randy Johnson vs. Moyer (1989)
•1992: Frank Tanana vs. Bert Blyleven (1973)
Who enjoyed a better career?
This is an interesting debate because statistically the daylight between the two pitchers is very small. It's no surprise that when it comes to the number of professional players involved in active pitchers, there are few people in the league with Kershaw and Scherzer – each other and Verlander.
start: Scherzer 2nd (465), Kershaw 3rd (442)
Bureau: Scherzer 2nd (2,919), Kershaw 3rd (2,808 1/3)
Win: Scherzer 2nd (218), Kershaw 3rd (217)
Strike-up: Scherzer 2nd (3,451), Kershaw 3rd (3,010)
Pitcher Bwar: Kershaw 2nd (77.4), Scherzer 3rd (74.8)
era (^): Kershaw 1st (2.52), Scherzer 5th (3.18)
ERA+ (^): Kershaw 1st (155), Scherzer 5th (132)
whip (^): Kershaw 2nd (1.02), Scherzer 4th (1.08)
^Minimum. 1,000 IP
The similarities don't end. Both won three CY Young awards, but Kershaw also won the MVP award. Although Scherzer has 2 for one of Kershaw, both thrown out not hot. Although both won two World Series rings in the Dodgers' 2024 playoff game, Kershaw didn't play. Both feature all-stars, with Kershaw leading 11 to 8 in the category, including his “Legendary Choice” this year.
Basically, this is an unrelated issue. While Friday’s game won’t move the needles one way or another, it’s another noteworthy chapter in a pair of historic and intertwined professions.