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Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Hall of Fame pitchers seize spotlight as Blue Jays take on Dodgers
(Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images) An interleague matchup between division leaders kicks off Friday night with a showdown between two of MLB's most iconic pitchers. Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers are scheduled to go head-to-head in the opener of the three-game series in Los Angeles. Scherzer has won 218 regular-season games during his career and seven more in the postseason. Kershaw owns 217 regular season wins and 13 more in the playoffs. The future Hall of Famers also are the most recent additions to MLB's 3,000-strikeout club. 'You probably aren't going to see that very often these days,' 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 (2-1, 4.39 ERA), who missed three months with a right thumb injury, is coming off his best start of the season. He allowed one run and five hits over six innings in a 4-2 win against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The 41-year-old is 5-5 with a 2.34 ERA in 18 appearances against the Dodgers in his career, including 16 starts. Scherzer and Kershaw have faced off several times in their career, beginning with their first matchup on Sept. 7, 2008, when Scherzer was a rookie with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kershaw was in his first season with the Dodgers. Neither earned the victory in Los Angeles' 5-3 win that day, though Scherzer fanned 11 over five innings. 'I loved playing with him. I love competing against him. I have all the respect in the world for him,' Scherzer said. '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.' Kershaw (5-2, 3.29 ERA) is also coming off an impressive start, blanking the Tampa Bay Rays for six innings in a 5-0 win last Friday. 'First-ballot Hall of Famer,' said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman after that game. 'He was in the pool all day yesterday with his kids, and he goes out there and throws six shutout innings. He is absolutely incredible.' Kershaw, 37, said he had better command of his pitches than he did in his previous start on July 26 against the Boston Red Sox, when he gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings of a 4-2 loss. 'The slider was definitely better,' Kershaw said. 'The last one in Boston, it wasn't very good. I was able to throw the slider a little bit more, the curveball for strikes which is nice. Will (Smith) did a good job, identified that they were taking that early. So to be able to get ahead with that was nice.' Kershaw has made two starts against the Blue Jays in his career and won them both, posting a 3.46 ERA in those wins. Scherzer said the matchup deserves a lot of attention, but there's a lot more he needs to be concerned about. 'They won the World Series last year,' Scherzer said of the Dodgers. 'They're the champs. You want a shot at the champs. You want to beat them. That's what this game is about.'
Canada News.Net
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Royals score five in 10th to topple Blue Jays
(Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images) Tyler Tolbert keyed a five-run 10th with a two-run single as the visiting Kansas City Royals defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 on Sunday afternoon. Kyle Isbel started the 10th-inning rally with an RBI double against Seranthony Dominguez (2-4) to help the Royals take the rubber match of the three-game series. Isbel had two hits for the Royals, who started a nine-game road trip with the series win. Ernie Clement and Joey Loperfido had two hits for the Blue Jays. Toronto scored once against Seth Lugo in the second inning. Bo Bichette led off with a walk and Daulton Varsho walked with two out. Clement's infield single to third loaded the bases for Myles Straw, who stroked an RBI single to left. The Royals scored once against Chris Bassitt in the fourth. Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia walked with one out. After Bassitt had the grounds crew work on an issue with his landing spot on the mound, he hit Salvador Perez with a pitch to load the bases and Mike Yastrzemski lined a sacrifice fly to left. Clement led off the home fifth with a walk, took second on a sacrifice and scored on Loperfido's two-out single to center. John Schreiber replaced Lugo, who allowed two runs, four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Brendon Little took over in the seventh from Bassitt, who allowed one run, one hit and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings. Kansas City forged a 2-2 tie against Louis Varland in the eighth. Bobby Witt Jr. doubled to center with two out and scored on Pasquantino's single to center. Hunter Harvey (1-0) allowed only an infield single in the bottom of the ninth to set up the Royals' third extra-inning win in the last nine days. Dominguez allowed Isbel's RBI double that scored automatic runner Randal Grichuk to lead off the 10th. Jonathan India was hit by a pitch and Witt walked to load the bases. Tolbert hit a two-run single. Catcher Alejandro Kirk, activated from the injured list for the game, threw errantly to third on a pickoff attempt to allow a run to score. Garcia added a sacrifice fly. Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger hit RBI singles against Carlos Estevez in the home 10th.
