Scherzer, Kluber face off in battle of Cy Young winners originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
On Saturday afternoon, Yankee Stadium will be the site of the first matchup between three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and two-time recipient Corey Kluber in eight years.
There are just five active pitchers in MLB that have won a Cy Young multiple times in their careers and only two reside in the same division: Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. It’s a rare occurrence when two such pitchers face each other, giving Saturday’s game the potential to be one of the best pitching duels of the season.
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Both Scherzer and Kluber are up against the aging curve, hoping to extend their careers deep into their 30s.
Kluber, 35, made just eight starts between 2019 and 2020 as he endured a fractured forearm and torn muscle in his shoulder. He signed with the Yankees last offseason after impressing scouts at a workout attended by more than half the league. His fastball averages just 89.8 mph (down from 92.7 mph when he last won Cy Young) but he’s managed to adapt enough to compile a 3.03 ERA and 1.348 WHIP across six starts this season.
Scherzer, 36, is coming off a complete game that he finished up just two hours before his wife gave birth to their third child. The right-hander is in the final year of the $210 million contract he signed with the Nationals in 2015 and has shown no indication that he plans to retire when the season is up. So far, he’s built a compelling case that he still has plenty left to offer as he’s posted a 2.54 ERA and 0.846 WHIP in six starts.
Though Scherzer has pitched over 1,000 more innings than Kluber throughout their careers, their rate statistics are eerily similar heading into play Saturday.
Scherzer: 2,396 1/3 IP, 3.20 ERA, 3.15 FIP, 132 ERA+, 1.096 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 4.38 K/BB
Kluber: 1,372 1/3 IP, 3.15 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 134 ERA+, 1.092 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4.86 K/BB
The last time Scherzer and Kluber played against each other was in 2013. Scherzer, then with the Detroit Tigers, was in the midst of winning his first Cy Young. Kluber, pitching for the Cleveland Indians, wouldn’t win his first until the following season. Now, the two pitchers face each other as much more established pitchers, each battling his own set of challenges to remain effective deep into their careers.
Both the Nationals and Yankees boast several MVP-caliber hitters, yet the two teams rank among the bottom third of the league in runs scored this season. Scherzer and Kluber will have every opportunity to live up to their status as two of the best pitchers of the best pitchers of the last decade when they take the mound Saturday.
