Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw took on fellow future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night and earned the victory with help from Mookie Betts.
Betts hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning and drove in another run in the three-run seventh to help the host Dodgers to a 5-1 victory in the opener of the three-game series.
Kershaw (6-2) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings, striking out four and walking one.
Scherzer (2-2) also went six innings, allowing two runs and six hits while striking out five and walking three.
Kershaw, 37, now has 218 regular-season victories in his 18-year career, the same as Scherzer, 41, who also debuted in the 2008 season.
Shohei Ohtani had three hits and scored twice for the Dodgers, who had dropped two of three.
Daulton Varsho went 3-for-4 and Addison Barger had two hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who had won three in a row.
Bo Bichette hit a grounder under the glove of Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and down the right field line for a leadoff double in the second inning.
Bichette moved to third on a groundout and scored on a hard ground-ball single through the right side against the drawn-in infield by Barger to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.
Ohtani hit a ground-rule double with two outs in the fifth inning and Betts hit the next pitch over the fence in left for a two-run homer and a 2-1 lead.
Brendon Little started the seventh on the mound for the Blue Jays and walked No. 9 hitter Alex Freeland on four pitches. Ohtani then singled off the glove of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the ball rolled into shallow right, putting runners on the corners.
Betts hit a grounder to Bichette at short and his off-balance throw home was late, allowing Freeland to score for a 3-1 lead.
Freeman then walked on four pitches to load the bases, ending Little’s day.
Louis Varland came in and walked Will Smith to force in another run and make it 4-1.
Teoscar Hernandez followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.
Los Angeles relievers Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius and Blake Treinen combined to blank Toronto over the final three innings.
–Field Level Media
