Mad Max makes more history, strikes out 10 to pass Perry for 9th all-time
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TORONTO -- Max Scherzer climbed another rung of the all-time Major League Baseball strikeouts ladder in the Blue Jays’ 7-0 win over the Mariners on Sunday.
With his seventh-inning punch out of Cal Raleigh, his 10th of the game, Scherzer surpassed Gaylord Perry for ninth all-time with 3,535 strikeouts.
When it was announced to the Rogers Centre crowd, fans erupted in appreciation for the history they were witnessing. In typical Scherzer fashion, he saluted the crowd before getting back to work.
It was the 115th time in Scherzer’s illustrious career that he had struck out at least 10 batters in a game. He is third in that category, behind only Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (212) since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893.
At 42 years and 34 days old, Scherzer is also the oldest pitcher with 10+ strikeouts and one or no hits allowed in a game since Ryan on May 1, 1991, (44 years, 90 days) in a no-hitter against none other than the Blue Jays.
Scherzer and Ryan (six times) are the only pitchers with such an outing at age 42+ in MLB history.
After Josh Naylor grounded out to second base to end the seventh, Scherzer walked off the mound with a 4-0 lead and a standing ovation from the Jays faithful. Scherzer threw 67 of his 97 pitches for strikes, with one walk and Raleigh's fourth-inning double the only baserunners he allowed.