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NBC Sports
25 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw: A rare showdown between 3,000-strikeout pitchers
LOS ANGELES — Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw sounds like an enticing postseason matchup in October. Fans won't have to wait that long. The likely Hall of Famers square off in a rare contest between the most recent members of baseball's 3,000-strikeout club. 'You probably aren't going to see that very often these days,' Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 'I have a lot of respect for Max. It'll be good to see him and hopefully we can have our way with him.' Scherzer is, alongside his left-handed opponent, perhaps one of this generation's greatest pitchers. He and Kershaw have each won World Series titles and are three-time Cy Young Award winners. Scherzer, 41, is an eight-time All-Star, while the 37-year-old Kershaw has 11 All-Star appearances, including this year as a Legend Pick by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Scherzer became the 19th member of the 3,000-strikeout club while pitching for the Dodgers in September 2021. Kershaw joined him as the 20th member. The duo, along with Justin Verlander, are the only active pitchers to reach the 3,000-strikeout mark. 'I loved playing with him. I love competing against him. I have all the respect in the world for him,' Scherzer said from Colorado, where the Toronto Blue Jays earned a sweep. 'We've been pitching for so long, you don't know how many more chances you are going to get at this, to face somebody of his ilk. This is what you dream of, facing the best. It should be a lot of fun.' But such a high-stakes duel doesn't always live up to the anticipation. In September 2023, Scherzer and Verlander squared off for the first time in a matchup of 200-game winners. Scherzer, then with Texas, didn't make it to the fourth inning. Verlander, also a three-time Cy Young Award winner who was then with Houston, scattered six hits over seven innings. Rookie left-hander Jack Dreyer has a locker just a few feet from Kershaw's in the Dodgers clubhouse. He also played against Scherzer last season in a rehab outing. 'The way they go about their business is what separates them. To an extent there's the talent, but they also just work harder than everybody else, especially Kersh,' Dreyer said. 'It's not always easy to listen to guys if they're talking to you about how to get better but you don't see them doing it. With him, it's just so easy because I see him working his butt off every single day. He's the easiest guy in the world to learn from.' Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly will be watching Scherzer and Kershaw, who he managed in LA from 2011-15. 'They work. They are detailed in what they want to do,' Mattingly said in Colorado. Mattingly credits then-Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt for helping Kershaw develop a slider to add to the primary fastball-changeup mix that he used early in his 18-year career. 'Just that two-pitch combo is tough. Umps miss that curveball because it is big. So they'd 'ball' it on him,' Mattingly said. 'Then he came with the slider, which really changed him, being able to get down under the right-hander. Speed them up a little bit, and then that curveball was kind of a putaway when he had that going.' The series opener at Dodger Stadium is a matchup of division leaders. The Blue Jays lead the AL East by four games over Boston. The Dodgers' NL West lead over San Diego has shriveled to two. And that's ultimately what matters to Scherzer. 'If you start putting the importance on this matchup with them and put your attention toward this, you are going to overlook some other things,' he said. 'They won the World Series last year. They're the champs. You want a shot at the champs. You want to beat them. That's what this game is about.'
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Dodgers Dugout: The 10 best third basemen in Dodger history
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. On Friday, we'll look at the struggling offense. Until then, here's a bonus edition of the newsletter. Here are my picks for the top 10 third basemen in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player's name to be taken to the page with all their stats. 1. Ron Cey (1971-82, .264/.359/.445, 121 OPS+, 6-time All-Star) Cey is one of the most underrated players in the history of baseball, let alone the Dodgers. He was unfortunate in that he was a direct contemporary of possibly the two greatest third basemen in history (especially up to that time) in Mike Schmidt and George Brett, so Cey often went overlooked. If you ask fans who was the best player on the Dodgers from 1977-81, most would name Steve Garvey or Reggie Smith. But let's take a look at the numbers: From 1977-81 Most homers: Cey, 122; Garvey, 118; Dusty Baker, 102. OPS+: Smith, 154; Cey, 129; Garvey, 126. WAR: Cey, 22.4; Smith, 16.7; Garvey, 16.3 Cey, of course, was nicknamed 'The Penguin,' because his knees were about six inches off the ground, giving him a stiff-legged run. He never seemed slow though, just awkward looking. He was co-MVP of the 1981 World Series, the Series during which he was famously hit in the head by a Goose Gossage fastball, still the only game (Game 5) I have watched where I was convinced someone had just been killed. Cey was taken to the hospital and had a concussion. You can watch it here. He played in Game 6. ''I heard it hit the helmet,'' Gossage said after the game. ''If he doesn't have a helmet on, he might be dead.'' The Dodgers traded Cey to the Chicago Cubs after the 1982 season for Dan Cataline and Vance Lovelace. They traded him too soon, for players that didn't pan out. Cey went on the have four productive seasons with the Cubs, leading them to the NL East title in 1984. He was released by the Oakland A's during the 1987 season and never played in the majors again. Cey took part in our 'Ask....' series five years ago. You can read it here. 2. Pedro Guerrero (1978-88, .309/.381/.512, 149 OPS+, 4-time All-Star) Let's get the negative out of the way first: Guerrero was born to be a DH. He was a bad third baseman, a bad first baseman and a bad outfielder. But he may be the best hitter in Dodger history. He is second in OPS+ in Dodger history (minimum 3,000 plate appearances), trailing only Mike Piazza. and he had around 1,000 more plate appearances than Piazza. He hit .320 in 1985, then blew out his knee on an ill-advised slide in spring training of 1986. He came back in 1987 to hit .338. He had power, hitting 30+ homers three times (back when that really meant something) and had a good eye at the plate. He was not a good fielder at third, and hated playing there, but you have to give him credit for going out there whenever he was asked. On April 3, 2017, Guerrero had a stroke while in New York. According to his wife Roxanna Jimenez, doctors said Guerrero was in a coma, declared him brain dead and asked her to consider taking him off life support. She refused. Two days later, Guerrero woke up and has made a miraculous recovery. He still has memory problems and moves slower than he used to, but he makes appearances at autograph shows. 3. Justin Turner (2014-22, .296/.375/.490, 133 OPS+, 2-time All-Star) Turner remains a fan favorite, as every offseason I get emails from readers hoping the Dodgers will bring him back. Turner had a middling career with the Orioles and Mets (.260 career average in 318 games) before signing with the Dodgers before the 2014 season in a transaction that few paid attention to. The Dodgers and Turner unlocked something in his swing though, because he was a revelation in 2014, hitting .340/.404/.493 in 109 games. He became the heart of the offense, and his hard-nosed style of play endeared him to fans. If there was a clutch situation, Turner was the one you wanted up at the plate. Remember this clutch moment against the Cubs in the 2017 NLCS? And even though he is on the downside of his career with the Cubs this season, he still has his clutch moments. He's one of those guys you hope retires as a Dodgers. 4. Max Muncy (2018-current, .232/.358/.484, 127 OPS+, 2-time All-Star) Muncy has never captured the hearts of Dodgers fans the way other players the last few years have. He hits for a low average, but draws a lot of walks and has a lot of power. The offense this season went into the tank about the same time he was injured. And while he will never win a Gold Glove, he usually battles the position to a draw. The streakiest of streak hitters, he set a record for most consecutive times reaching base in the NLCS last season, then followed it up by going 0 for 16 in the World Series. A big part of the Dodgers' success since he joined the team. 5. Adrian Beltré (1998-2004, .274/.332/.463, 108 OPS+) How is a Hall of Famer fifth? He wasn't a Hall of Famer when he was with the Dodgers. In fact, he was considered a bit of a disappointment until an amazing 2004 season, when he hit .334 with 48 homers and 121 RBIs. He finished second in MVP voting that year. Sadly, that would be his last year as a Dodger, as management at the time (owner Frank McCourt and general manager Paul DePodesta) didn't make a big effort to sign him. 'I think it was more the GM than anything,' Beltré said later in his career. Beltré blamed himself for telegraphing that he didn't want to leave. 'It was a mistake on my part to show it too much, that I wanted to stay back then. They wanted to use that against me in the negotiation.' (Read more about Beltre and his time with the Dodgers here.) Beltré was the best fielding third baseman in team history, and the Dodgers spent many years seeking an adequate replacement for him, something they were never able to do until Justin Turner came along. 6. Cookie Lavagetto (1937-41, 1946-47, .275/.372/.384, 105 OPS+, 4-time All-Star) Lavagetto had an incredible batting eye, walking 370 times while striking out only 155 times from 1937-41. His career was derailed by World War II, as he served four years in the Navy during what would have been his prime. When Lavagetto was young, Oakland Oaks owner Cookie DeVincenzi took an interest in him and signed him to a contract, so Lavagetto's new teammates started calling him 'Cookie's Boy,' which eventually was shortened to just 'Cookie.' His real first name was Harry. When he returned from the Navy, his skills had eroded enough to where he played only two seasons. But he had one great moment in him still. In Game 4 of the 1947 World Series, Bill Bevens of the Yankees had a no-hitter against the Dodgers in the ninth inning. Bevens had walked eight Dodgers, and the Yankees led 2-1. With one out, Bevens walked Carl Furillo, then got Spider Jorgensen to foul out. Al Gionfriddo ran for Furillo and stole second. Bevens intentionally walked Pete Reiser, and Eddie Miksis ran for Reiser. Manager Burt Shotton then sent up Lavagetto to pinch-hit for Eddie Stanky. Lavagetto hit Bevens' second pitch off the right-field fence, scoring Gionfriddo and Miksis with the winning runs and ending Bevens' no-hitter. Lavagetto died in 1990 at the age of 77. 7. Arky Vaughan (1942-43, 1947-48, .291/.368/.383, 113 OPS+, 1-time All-Star) Vaughan is in the Hall of Fame, as a shortstop wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates cap. That's where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career. You might see that gap in his career and think 'military service interrupted his career,' but no. Vaughan hit .277 and .305 in his first two seasons with the Dodgers. On July 10, 1943, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher suspended pitcher Bobo Newsom for insubordination. The next day, Vaughan read a newspaper story in which Durocher belittled Newsom. He confronted Durocher when he arrived at the ballpark. Durocher stood behind what he said. According to teammate Billy Herman, 'Arky didn't say another word. He went back to his locker and took off his uniform — pants, jersey, socks, cap — made a big bundle out of it, and went back to Leo's office, telling Leo, 'Take this uniform and shove it right up your... If you would lie about Bobo, you would lie about me and everybody else. I'm not playing for you.' And Vaughan left. Some of his teammates left with him. Durocher and general manager Branch Rickey convinced all of the players to return for that day's game except Vaughan. He returned the next day and played the rest of the season, but quit baseball at the end of the season. Rickey talked to him every year, trying to get him to return, but Vaughan refused. Until Rickey said he needed a veteran leader like Vaughan on the bench in 1947 because of the debut of Jackie Robinson. Vaughan returned. Vaughan hit .325 off the bench for the Dodgers and helped them reach the World Series, his first. He played in 1948, hit .244, and retired for good. On August 30, 1952, he and a friend, Bill Wimer, went sailing on Lost Lake in northern California. The boat sank. Wimer couldn't swim, so Vaughan tried to carry him along as he swam to shore. Witnesses at the time said they made it to 25 yards from shore when they both sank and drowned (why these witnesses didn't help is lost to the annals of time). Their bodies were recovered the next day. Vaughan was 40. At Vaughan's funeral, Robinson said, 'He was one of the fellows who went out of his way to be nice to me when I came in here as a rookie. Believe me, I needed it. He was a fine fellow.' 8. Billy Cox (1948-54, .259/.320/.370, 82 OPS+) Cox was a member of the 'Boys of Summer' Dodgers but had the misfortune of being traded to Baltimore just before the 1955 season, when Brooklyn finally won the World Series. Cox was a great fielder but below-average hitter. He served for four years in the military during World War II as a member of the 814th Signal Corps. The Signal Corps laid wire and set up communication centers for the advancing troops, which meant he was often in the middle of combat zones. One time, while playing for the Pirates, the sound of a fireworks display that was set off while he was on the field reminded him of his time in the military and he ran to the dugout for cover. And how good was Cox on defense? Perhaps teammate Carl Erskine put it best: 'He had such quick hands that it seemed as though he had four gloves instead of one.' Cox started smoking when he was overseas during the war, and it eventually took its toll. He died of esophageal cancer in 1978. He was only 58 years old. The baseball field in his hometown of Newport, Pa., is named for him. 9. Joe Stripp (1932-37, .295/.335/.384, 97 OPS+) Stripp had a solid bat and was a Gold Glove-level defender, though they didn't give that award out when he played. After Stripp retired, he opened up a baseball school in Orlando, Fla., which was considered one of the best baseball schools in the country in the 1940s and '50s. Stripp died in Orlando in 1989 at the age of 86. There isn't a lot known about Stripp, who is one of those guys who just sort of faded away after he retired. He was born 122 years ago and played in the majors for 11 seasons. It's nice to remember him here. 10. Mike Sharperson (1987-93, .287/.363/.373, 108 OPS+, 1-time All-Star) Sharperson was more of a utility player than a third baseman, appearing at every infield position and in right field with the Dodgers. His best season was 1992, when he hit .300 and made his only All-Star team. He was a guy you could put in for a player who needed a day off and know you were going to get a solid performance. Those types of players are very valuable to a team over the course of 162 games. On May 26, 1996, Sharperson was killed in a one-car crash at the junction of the 15 and 215 freeways. He was driving from Las Vegas, where he was playing for the triple-A Las Vegas Stars, to San Diego, which had just recalled him from the minors. Witnesses said it appeared he was about to miss the turn onto the 215 connector and tried to get over at the last second. His car hit a dirt median and Sharperson was ejected through the sun roof. Sharperson was only 34. Once you get down to around ninth or 10th place, there are a lot of guys who are interchangeable there. You could make a case for Billy Grabarkewitz or Casey Blake or Ken McMullen or George Pinkney or Tim Wallach or a host of others. The Dodgers have not had a lot of great third basemen. 1,286 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. For those of you who were wondering, I make my choices before I tally your results. Here are your choices: 1. Ron Cey, 791 first-place votes, 13,429 points2. Adrian Beltré, 321 first-place votes, 10,510 points3. Justin Turner, 74 first-place votes, 10,189 points4. Max Muncy, 25 first-place votes, 7,345 points5. Pedro Guerrero, 23 first-place votes, 7,232 points6. Billy Cox, 3,438 points7. Cookie Lavagetto, 3,335 points8. Tim Wallach, 1,731 points9. Arky Vaughan, 42 first-place votes, 1,657 points10. Bill Madlock, 1,483 points The next five: Juan Uribe, Mickey Hatcher, Todd Zeile, George Pinkney, Joe Stripp. Who are your top 10 Dodgers left fielders of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to top10leftfielders@ and let me know. Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest left fielder candidates, in alphabetical order. Sandy Amorós, John Anderson, Dusty Baker, Rube Bressler, Bill Buckner, Gino Cimoli, Kal Daniels, Vic Davalillo, Tommy Davis, Len Gabrielson, Augie Galan, Kirk Gibson, Gene Hermanski, Todd Hollandsworth, Lou Johnson, Brian Jordan, Joe Kelley, Joe Medwick, Wally Moon, Manny Mota, Darby O'Brien, Lefty O'Doul, Andy Pafko, AJ Pollock, Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Sheckard, Gary Sheffield, George Shuba, Chris Taylor, Danny Taylor, Andrew Toles, Jayson Werth, Zack Wheat. A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Joc Pederson (center field) and Ron Fairly and Teoscar Hernández (right field), for example, will be listed at those positions. Pedro Guerrero goes three for five with five RBIs in 1981 World Series Game 6. Watch and listen here. Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scherzer vs. Kershaw: A rare showdown between 3,000-strikeout pitchers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw sounds like an enticing postseason matchup in October. Fans won't have to wait that long. The likely Hall of Famers square off Friday in a rare contest between the most recent members of baseball's 3,000-strikeout club. 'You probably aren't going to see that very often these days,' Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 'I have a lot of respect for Max. It'll be good to see him and hopefully we can have our way with him.' Scherzer is, alongside his left-handed opponent, perhaps one of this generation's greatest pitchers. He and Kershaw have each won World Series titles and are three-time Cy Young Award winners. Scherzer, 41, is an eight-time All-Star, while the 37-year-old Kershaw has 11 All-Star appearances, including this year as a Legend Pick by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Scherzer became the 19th member of the 3,000-strikeout club while pitching for the Dodgers in September 2021. Kershaw joined him as the 20th member last month. The duo, along with Justin Verlander, are the only active pitchers to reach the 3,000-strikeout mark. 'I loved playing with him. I love competing against him. I have all the respect in the world for him,' Scherzer said from Colorado, where the Toronto Blue Jays earned a sweep this week. 'We've been pitching for so long, you don't know how many more chances you are going to get at this, to face somebody of his ilk. This is what you dream of, facing the best. It should be a lot of fun.' But such a high-stakes duel doesn't always live up to the anticipation. In September 2023, Scherzer and Verlander squared off for the first time in a matchup of 200-game winners. Scherzer, then with Texas, didn't make it to the fourth inning. Verlander, also a three-time Cy Young Award winner who was then with Houston, scattered six hits over seven innings. Rookie left-hander Jack Dreyer has a locker just a few feet from Kershaw's in the Dodgers clubhouse. He also played against Scherzer last season in a rehab outing. 'The way they go about their business is what separates them. To an extent there's the talent, but they also just work harder than everybody else, especially Kersh,' Dreyer said. 'It's not always easy to listen to guys if they're talking to you about how to get better but you don't see them doing it. With him, it's just so easy because I see him working his butt off every single day. He's the easiest guy in the world to learn from.' Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly will be watching Scherzer and Kershaw, who he managed in LA from 2011-15. 'They work. They are detailed in what they want to do,' Mattingly said in Colorado. Mattingly credits then-Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt for helping Kershaw develop a slider to add to the primary fastball-changeup mix that he used early in his 18-year career. 'Just that two-pitch combo is tough. Umps miss that curveball because it is big. So they'd 'ball' it on him," Mattingly said. "Then he came with the slider, which really changed him, being able to get down under the right-hander. Speed them up a little bit, and then that curveball was kind of a putaway when he had that going.' Friday's series opener at Dodger Stadium is a matchup of division leaders. The Blue Jays lead the AL East by four games over Boston. The Dodgers' NL West lead over San Diego has shriveled to two. And that's ultimately what matters to Scherzer. 'If you start putting the importance on this matchup with them and put your attention toward this, you are going to overlook some other things,' he said. 'They won the World Series last year. They're the champs. You want a shot at the champs. You want to beat them. That's what this game is about.' ___ Associated Press freelance writer Jack Magruder in Denver contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:
