Scherzer: 'I love competing against' Kershaw

Friday's matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers was all about aces Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw going toe to toe, and the future Hall of Famers seemed to enjoy it as much as the spectators.

"I love competing against him," Scherzer said, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "You knew there weren't going to be many runs scored and you've got to be absolutely nails, go out there and compete as hard as you can. Unfortunately we weren't able to get to him as much as we would like to, but he pitched his butt off."

The Dodgers won 5-1, with Kershaw earning his sixth victory of the season. Scherzer wore two earned runs and struck out five batters over six innings, while Kershaw allowed one run and had four punchouts in six frames.

"Scherz was throwing the ball great. He was throwing like 96 (mph),” Kershaw said, according to The Associated Press. "It doesn't look like he’s aged at all."

Scherzer and Kershaw have faced off six times in their storied careers, and were briefly teammates on the Dodgers in 2021. Both hurlers are among the best in MLB history as members of the 3,000-strikeout club with two rings each and three Cy Youngs apiece. Kershaw also has an NL MVP award.

"(Kershaw)'s had such a great career," Scherzer said. "Getting to be a teammate with him, he's an awesome teammate as well. I've got all the respect in the world for what he does on and off the field."