If you are a Dodger fan who also happens to be a fan of NASCAR, 37-year-old Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer undoubtedly put a smile on your face during his off-day press conference on Sunday afternoon at an empty Dodger Stadium.

Asked of his history with 34-year-old future Hall of Fame catcher Buster Posey, the future Hall of Fame pitcher told reporters that although he doesn’t know Posey all that well, they have “traded paint” with each other in the past.

That term, of course, refers to NASCAR drivers’ bumping’ into one another (at 100 MPH), thereby ‘trading paint’ from their respective race cars.

“He’s a great hitter. He knows what he’s doing at the plate,” Scherzer said. “I’ve faced him a handful of times. I think we traded paint. He’s gotten me, I’ve gotten him, so it should be a good matchup.”

Among those “…handful of times” was Game-4 of the 2012 World Series, when Posey hit a sixth-inning go-ahead two-run home run off of (then) Detroit Tigers right-hander Scherzer in the eventual 10-inning 4-3 home loss to the San Francisco Giants. Scherzer did, however, strike out eight – including Posey – while walking only one in his 6.1 innings pitched on the cool (cold) 44-degree night at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit – so there’s that.

Ironically, Posey has only 12 regular-season at-bats against Scherzer during their respective 12 and 14 major league seasons. In those 12 previous at-bats, Posey has only one hit – a double – for a .083 batting average with only one RBI.

But all of that is ancient history and means absolutely nothing heading into Game-3 of the 2021 National League Division Series on Monday night when Scherzer will oppose popular former Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood at Dodger Stadium.

As for that Scherzer vs. Posey thing, there’s a pretty good chance that there will again be some ‘trading paint’ between the two.

Hopefully it will be the future Hall of Famer pitcher who takes the checkered flag.

Play Ball!

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