LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw outpitched Max Scherzer in a matchup for the ages, and Mookie Betts homered and drove in three runs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Friday night.
The first duo in MLB history to start against each other as rookies and accumulate 3,000 career strikeouts, Kershaw and Scherzer threw six effective innings in front of a sellout crowd of 53,825.
The 37-year-old Kershaw (6-2) allowed one run and seven hits, striking out four. The 41-year-old Scherzer (2-2) gave up two runs and six hits. He struck out five and walked three.
It’s the fourth time Scherzer and Kershaw have opposed each other. The first time was unexpected. Hall of Famers Randy Johnson of Arizona and Greg Maddux of the Dodgers were scratched on Sept. 7, 2008. Their replacements were rookies Scherzer, then 24, and Kershaw, then 20, who each got a no-decision.
Competitors.
Friends.
Legends of our game.Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw swapped jerseys after their historic meeting on the mound. pic.twitter.com/Fs0lhLHqpz
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 9, 2025
Kershaw improved to 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA in five career starts against Scherzer, including the playoffs. Kershaw is one of two starting pitchers — and the only active one — to beat Scherzer three times over his career (Kevin Correia is the other).
Scherzer made his 465th career start. Kershaw started his 443rd game — all for the Dodgers over 18 seasons.
Both longtime aces have won three Cy Young Awards and are likely headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Betts gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead with a two-run homer off Scherzer in the fifth. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani hit a ground-rule double. Betts followed with a 389-foot shot to left field for his first homer since July 5, snapping a 23-game homerless drought — his second longest as a Dodger and longest this season.
Los Angeles tacked on three runs in the seventh. Betts knocked in the first one with a grounder, and Ohtani scored when reliever Louis Varland issued a bases-loaded walk to Will Smith. Teoscar Hernández added a sacrifice fly that plated Betts.
Ohtani finished with three hits and scored twice.
Daulton Varsho had three hits for the Blue Jays, who took a 1-0 lead on Addison Barger‘s two-strike RBI single off Kershaw in the second.
Toronto’s three-game winning streak was snapped in the matchup of division leaders.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
