TORONTO -- Max Scherzer has joined another club we’ll be talking about when he is someday elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, Scherzer recorded his 3,500th strikeout, becoming just the 11th pitcher in MLB history to reach that number.
Scherzer took care of business right away, striking out Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber with a changeup for a called strike on the bottom edge of the zone. Even Scherzer, always wanting to get on to the next pitch, paused to acknowledge the crowd as he received an ovation from Blue Jays fans during Toronto's 7-4 loss.
It’s taken some time to get over this final hurdle, too. Scherzer was just two away from the milestone when he faced the D-backs in Arizona on April 18, but he recorded just one strikeout that game. Then, his next time out against the Guardians, Scherzer lasted just 2 1/3 innings and didn’t strike out a batter. He’s spent the past month and a half stuck at 3,499 while on the IL with forearm and ankle injuries, but Scherzer has finally joined the exclusive club.
Most strikeouts all-time:
- Nolan Ryan: 5,714
- Randy Johnson: 4,875
- Roger Clemens: 4,672
- Steve Carlton: 4,136
- Bert Blyleven: 3,701
- Tom Seaver: 3,640
- Don Sutton: 3,574
- Justin Verlander: 3,554
- Gaylord Perry: 3,534
- Walter Johnson: 3,515
- Max Scherzer: 3,503
One note on the above list: Walter Johnson’s career strikeout total is 3,515, according to Elias Sports Bureau, which is the official statistician of Major League Baseball. That is the number that will be used as a threshold for Scherzer soon cracking the Top 10 in career strikeouts.
If Scherzer can stick in the Blue Jays’ rotation for the rest of this season and remain healthy -- which has been a challenge -- he could pass Johnson, Perry and Sutton, perhaps even getting closer to Seaver. Verlander is currently on the IL with a left hip injury for the Tigers, so that race is still very much alive between two of this generation’s greatest pitchers. If Scherzer were to pitch another season in 2027, he could even take a run at getting closer to Blyleven and the top five.
Scherzer stands among the all-time greats in the postseason, too, as a two-time World Series champion who has spent plenty of time pitching in October. His 157 1/3 postseason innings rank ninth all-time, and he ranks fifth in career postseason strikeouts with 182.