Overview

• MLB will witness only its fourth regular-season matchup between pitchers who have each surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts since the 1980s, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
• The start marks the fifth head-to-head meeting between Kershaw and Scherzer, whose first duel came as rookies in 2008.
• Max Scherzer became the 19th member of the 3,000-strikeout club in September 2021 and Clayton Kershaw joined as the 20th in July 2025, leaving Justin Verlander as the only other active member.
• Each pitcher has won three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles, and they have combined for 19 All-Star selections between them.
• Toronto leads the AL East by four games while Los Angeles holds a two-game advantage in the NL West, raising the stakes for both playoff races.