September 7, 2008: Rookies Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer fill in for a pair of future Hall of Famers

Hours after 44-year-old Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks failed to notch his 295th career win on September 1, 2008, 42-year-old Greg Maddux of the Los Angeles Dodgers won his 354th, tying Roger Clemens for eighth all-time. With Arizona slated to visit Los Angeles for a pivotal three-game series the next weekend, the prospect loomed that these future first-ballot Hall of Famers might face one another in a doubly rare encounter.

Three days later, the Arizona Republic reported that the finale of the Arizona-Los Angeles series would feature Maddux and Johnson in just the second regular-season meeting of their careers.1 The matchup would have been one of the handful ever held between winners of so many games,2 but Dodgers manager Joe Torre decided to have 20-year-old rookie southpaw Clayton Kershaw start in Maddux’s place. Torre, in his first year with the Dodgers after long wearing New York Yankees pinstripes, claimed Kershaw “matches up well against the Diamondbacks.”3 But it was also true that no NL team had given Maddux more trouble in his 23-year career than Arizona.

Lifetime, Maddux had a .214 (3-11) winning percentage against the Diamondbacks, with a 5.37 ERA and a 1.555 WHIP, each mark his worst against any NL opponent. Kershaw, a Dallas high schooler selected by the Dodgers seventh overall in the 2006 amateur draft, had reached the majors in May and held Arizona scoreless through six innings in his one start against them, five weeks earlier.

The prospect of a May-November set piece vanished when Johnson bowed out of the Sunday start with a sore left shoulder.4 In Johnson’s place, Arizona manager Bob Melvin tabbed 23-year-old rookie Max Scherzer for his first major-league start since May. A power pitcher out of the University of Missouri, Scherzer was Arizona’s first selection in the 2006 draft, four picks after Kershaw.

Still looking for his first big-league win, Scherzer had made 12 appearances for Arizona, including a breathtaking debut on April 29 in which he fanned seven Houston Astros in 4 1/3 innings of relief.5 His first career start coming against 45-year-old Jamie Moyer, the major leagues’ oldest ballplayer at the time, Scherzer would now be facing its youngest.

Though sporting a 70-70 record, Los Angeles entered the Arizona series just 1½ games behind the first-place Diamondbacks in the NL West Division, thanks to a five-game winning streak. The reigning West champion, Arizona had led the division since early April.

The Dodgers took the first two games of the series behind stellar starting pitching and a pair of five-RBI performances: on Friday from Andre Either and on Saturday from recent acquisition Manny Ramírez.6 The wins put the Dodgers in first place and clinched no worse than a tie in the season series.

A crowd of 54,137 poured into Dodger Stadium to witness the Kershaw-Scherzer matchup, many hopeful for a win to give the Dodgers momentum heading into the last three weeks of the season.7

Kershaw, taking the mound on four days’ rest, was 3-5 in 17 starts, with a 4.50 ERA. He’d demonstrated an impressive arsenal of pitches, but struggled to consistently get ahead in the count against big-league hitters. Trouble found him early in this start. Stephen Drew led off with a looping single to left, then was forced out when David Eckstein, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays a week earlier, tried to bunt for a hit.8 Lefty Adam Dunn, a Cincinnati Red when Kershaw last faced Arizona, followed with a double down the left-field line.9 Kershaw walked Conor Jackson to load the bases but escaped further damage by retiring Chris Young on an infield popup and Mark Reynolds on a roller to third baseman Casey Blake.

After Scherzer retired Russell Martin leading off the bottom of the first, Dodgers announcer Vin Scully explained to FSN Prime viewers how the expected Maddux-Johnson matchup had morphed into Kershaw-Scherzer.10 “Under the headline and heading of the best laid plans of mice and men, we have a 24-year-old Scherzer [which Scully mispronounced all game as Shirt-zer] with no wins and a 20-year-old Kershaw with three. What a difference a day makes.”11

With that, Ethier singled, bringing Saturday’s hitting star, Ramírez, to the plate.12 Batting .403 with 11 home runs and a gaudy 1.248 OPS since coming to the Dodgers in a three-team deal at the trading deadline,13 Ramírez rocketed a fastball off the base of the fence in left-center field. Ethier stopped at third, but came in to score with Ramirez on a broken-bat single up the middle by James Loney. Scherzer regrouped, striking out Blake and Matt Kemp to end the inning.

Arizona made the score 2-1 in the second inning on a blast into the left-field seats by catcher Chris Snyder,14 then knotted the score in the next frame on Dunn’s 36th home run of the season, hit into the left-center-field bleachers.15 An inning later, the Diamondbacks took back the lead.

Reynolds led off the Arizona fourth with a flare to left field. Ramírez was slow to retrieve the ball and then dropped it, allowing Reynolds to reach second. Two batters later, Reynolds scored when Snyder doubled down the left-field line on a full-count curveball.16 Snyder advanced to third on Scherzer’s groundout but was left stranded when Drew took a called third strike.

Kershaw’s day was done after needing 92 pitches to get through four innings.

Given a 3-2 lead, Scherzer went right after the Dodgers hitters. He struck out the side in the fourth and fifth innings, with all but the first of his six victims swinging. The last, a punchout of Martin on a pitch Scully described as “mov[ing] in like an angry hornet,”17 gave Scherzer 11 for the game and his first career double-digit strikeout performance.18

A walk to Ethier and a single by Ramírez brought an end to Scherzer’s outing two batters into the sixth inning. Melvin brought in Chad Qualls, a native of nearby Lomita, California.19 Qualls surrendered a sacrifice fly to Loney that tied the game, then retired Blake and Kemp to end the inning. With the score now tied, neither Scherzer nor Kershaw would earn a decision. An inning later, Los Angeles pulled ahead for good.

Blake DeWitt, who started the game at second base in place of an injured Jeff Kent,20 greeted Jon Rauch, the majors’ tallest pitcher at 6-feet-11,21 with a ground-rule double to left-center leading off the seventh. DeWitt moved to third when first baseman Dunn mishandled Angel Berroa’s bunt22 and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Nomar Garciaparra, inserted for Casey Blake in a double switch at the top of the inning. Hurrying to get the ball back to the infield, right fielder Justin Upton dropped it, allowing Berroa to reach second.

After Berroa moved to third on a comebacker, Melvin brought in lefty Doug Slaten to face Ethier. Ethier had singled off Slaten in the series opener, but batters were 0-for-11 against Slaten with two outs and a runner in scoring position. Ethier sent a wicked one-hopper to Drew that the shortstop couldn’t handle, scoring Berroa and putting the Dodgers up 5-3.23

In the top of the eighth, Dodger reliever Hung-Chih Kuo gave up a one-out double to Young off the left-center-field wall, then walked Reynolds, prompting Torre to “rearrange the furniture.”24 He swapped Kuo for big Jonathan Broxton, pulled Loney off first, shifted Garciaparra from third to first, moved DeWitt from second to third, and inserted Chin-lung Hu at second. Broxton struck out the next two batters, Upton and pinch-hitter Miguel Montero, on 99 and 100 MPH fastballs respectively.

Back out for the ninth, Broxton retired the first two batters before pinch-hitter Chad Tracy slapped a double past a diving DeWitt at third. A walk to Dunn brought up Jackson. Three-for-eight lifetime against Broxton, with a pair of doubles, Jackson rocketed a low liner toward right field, but the ball never made it. Garciaparra, playing first base for just the second time all year, snared it with a spectacular leaping dive to his right, ending the game and bringing a roar from the appreciative crowd.

“It looked like a hit all the way,” said Dodgers catcher Martin, who had a front-row seat to Garciaparra’s web gem. “It was an unbelievable play by Nomar.”25 Long forgotten were Kershaw’s earlier struggles. “The team kind of bailed me out,” the youngster told reporters.26

Despite the loss, Arizona manager Melvin felt good about Scherzer’s outing, especially his mound presence after allowing two runs in the first: “They got a couple of runs on a broken-bat hit, and he comes out there the next inning with fire in his eyes.”27 Asked about his strong finish, Scherzer simply said, “I kind of found a rhythm.”28

Buoyed by its season-high eight-game winning streak, Los Angeles won 11 of its last 19 games to wrest the NL West crown away from Arizona.

Not until his 14th career start, on May 16, 2009, against the Atlanta Braves, did Scherzer secure his first career win.

Kershaw and Scherzer next met as starters in Game One of the 2016 NLDS, with Kershaw earning the win over Mad Max and the Washington Nationals.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Thomas J. Brown Jr. and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credits: Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the Baseball-Almanac.com Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and Stathead.com websites, including box scores and play-by-play at these links:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200809070.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2008/B09070LAN2008.htm

Notes

1 “Coming Up,” Arizona Republic (Phoenix), September 4, 2008: C5. Johnson earned the win for the Houston Astros in their previous meeting, on September 2, 1998, with Maddux taking the loss for the Atlanta Braves.

2 Since 1901, hurlers with as many wins on their résumé had started against each other only six times before. Each was a winner of 300 games or more: Phil Niekro and Don Sutton met twice, on June 28, 1986, and June 8, 1987; Sutton and Tom Seaver on July 27, 1986; Sutton and Steve Carlton on August 4, 1987; and Clemens and Maddux twice, on April 29, 2005, and July 19, 2006. “Niekro Outduels Sutton for 315th,” Atlanta Constitution, June 9, 1987; Mike Penner, “Oldies Matchup Fizzles as Youth, Angels Prevail,” Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1986: III-1; Dan Shaughnessy, “The Future’s on Hold when History Meets,” Boston Globe, July 28, 1986: 29; Rick Gano, “Clemens Climbs MLB Wins List,” Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times, July 20, 2006: 5C.

3 Ken Peters, “Dodgers Take Step Closer to the Top,” Ventura County (California) Star, September 6, 2008: C1.

4 Before he was scratched, Johnson told reporters he was disappointed that he wouldn’t have the opportunity to face Maddux. Ken Peters, “Inside Pitch,” Arizona Star (Tucson), September 6, 2008: C1; Ken Peters, “Inside Pitch,”  Arizona Star, September 7, 2008: C1.

P Used as a long reliever after making three starts in May, Scherzer was sent down to Triple-A Tucson in mid-June to make room for short reliever Billy Buckner. Out of commission for five weeks with an inflamed shoulder, he was recalled in late August. Doug Ketchum and Doug Haller, “Scherzer to Tucson,” Arizona Republic, June 14, 2008: C8.

6 Ethier also went 5-for-5 in the series opener. Three of Ramírez’s RBIs came on what was his 521st career home run, which tied him for 15th with Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas.

7 In an event designated by the Dodgers as Heroes Day, dozens of members of local law-enforcement, fire, and military organizations paraded onto the field for a pregame ceremony that honored their service to the community.

8 Toronto, which had signed Eckstein as a free agent the previous December, parted with him in exchange for minor leaguer Chad Beck.

9 Dunn was traded from Cincinnati to Arizona, along with cash, on August 11 for minor leaguer Dallas Buck and players to be named later (minor leaguer Wilkin Castillo and pitcher Micah Owings).

10 FSN Prime telecast, “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 3:02:03, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3TCrLBwKiQ, 21:00 mark, accessed May 8, 2025.

11 “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 21:05 mark.

12 During Ethier’s at-bat, Scully finished an explanation of heterochromia, the condition that gave Scherzer different colored eyes. Noting Ramírez looming on deck as Ethier worked the count full, the Hall of Fame announcer quipped, “[P]robably [Scherzer] keeps the blue eye on the hitter and the brown eye on the on-deck hitter.” “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 23:05 mark.

13 In that July 31 deal, the Boston Red Sox sent Ramírez to Los Angeles, the Dodgers sent Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh sent Jason Bay to the Red Sox and the Red Sox sent Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. Acknowledging that the Red Sox gave up more than they received, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe called Ramírez’s departure “necessary,” hoping it would be an “addition by subtraction.” The Los Angeles Times called the Ramírez trade “a no-brainer.” Nick Cafardo, “Ramírez Deal Was Necessary,” Boston Globe, August 1, 2008: E1; “Not Even Colleti Can Lose with This Move,” Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2008: D2.

14 Snyder’s four-bagger gave him a career high of 14, which he pushed to 16 by the end of the season.

15 Dunn’s home run momentarily pulled him to within three of the eventual NL home-run leader, Ryan Howard. Howard, who finished the year with 48, connected for his 40th later on September 7. Dunn ended the 2008 season with exactly 40 home runs for the fourth consecutive year.

16 As Scully noted during the telecast, all four of Arizona’s extra-base hits off Kershaw came on 3-and-2 or 3-and-1 counts.

17 “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 1:45:00 mark.

18 Through the 2024 season, Scherzer had recorded double-digit strikeouts in 113 games, more than any other pitcher dating back to 2008. Only Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (212) have more.

19 Lomita is 20 miles south of Dodger Stadium. Qualls was one of several players in this game who were from the Los Angeles area, including Conor Jackson (who played for Woodland Hills High School), Doug Slaten (Venice HS and a pair of Los Angeles colleges) and Nomar Garciaparra (Bellflower HS). Randy Johnson played for the University of Southern California.

20 Kent was recovering from arthroscopic surgery performed a week earlier to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. “Notes,” Oakland Tribune, September 1, 2008: B4.

21 As Scully pointed out, Rauch was celebrating his wedding anniversary the day of this game. “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 2:40:05 mark.

22 The 2003 AL Rookie of the Year, Berroa served as the Dodgers’ regular shortstop since his acquisition from the Kansas City Royals in June.

23 “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 2:19:40 and 2:22:45 marks.

24 “Diamondbacks vs Dodgers (9-7-2008),” 2:31:35 mark.

25 Helen Elliott, “Dodgers Won’t Give ’Em a Break,” Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2008: D1.

26 Dylan Hernandez, “Pitching Prospects Battle,” Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2008: D1.

27 Nick Piecoro, “Scherzer to Get Another Start,” Tucson Citizen, September 10, 2008: 4C.

28 “Pitching Prospects Battle.”