Santana tallies 1,500th career strikeout

ATLANTA -- Braves right-hander Ervin Santana received a rousing ovation when he notched his 1,500th career strikeout during the second inning of Sunday afternoon's game against the Mets at Turner Field.

Santana reached the milestone when he got Kirk Nieuwenhuis to swing and miss on a 1-2 slider during the second inning. The 31-year-old hurler stands as one of 23 active pitchers who have recorded at least 1,500 strikeouts in their career.

Entering Sunday's game, Santana had recorded 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings. This stood as his highest mark in this category since he notched 8.8 in 2008, when he earned his only All-Star selection and finished sixth in balloting for the American League Cy Young Award.