Scherzer, Kershaw meet for just third time in nearly 17 years

It was Sept. 7, 2008, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were set to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

And what a wonderful day it was projected to be for any lucky spectator with a ticket, as a pitching matchup between Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson was set. 

At the time, the 42-year-old Maddux was sitting with 354 career wins, while Johnson (44) was just six wins shy of 300. 

It was supposed to be a game between two of the best pitchers of their generation, and that’s precisely what happened in the most unlikely way possible. 

Johnson was scratched from his start due to back issues, leading to Max Scherzer to take the mound on short notice. And the Dodgers pushed Maddux back one day so Clayton Kershaw could get another start against Arizona after throwing six scoreless against them a week prior. 

Scherzer was the elder statesman of the day, coming at 24 years old, looking for the first win of his career. Meanwhile, Kershaw was looking for his fourth win as a rookie. 

The game itself turned out to be a minor footnote in both pitchers' careers as they each gave up three runs and neither picked up a decision in a 5-3 Dodgers win. 

Since then, Scherzer and Kershaw have had quite the careers and are the first duo in MLB history to start against each other as rookies and accumulate 3,000 or more career strikeouts, according to Elias Sports. 

Now, here on Aug. 8, 2025, Scherzer and Kershaw are set to meet in the regular season for just the first time since that day. The only other time the two have started against each other was in Game 1 of the 2016 NLDS, with Kershaw getting the win over Scherzer and the Washington Nationals.

Still pitching for the Dodgers this season, Kershaw has a 3.29 ERA with 42 strikeouts and a 5-2 record in 13 starts. Meanwhile, Scherzer is 2-1 this season in eight starts for the Blue Jays with a 4.39 ERA with 44 Ks in 41 innings. 

Here is a look at props available for the two on FanDuel tonight.