New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has become the 17th member of the 3000 Strikeout Club. When Arizona Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy swung and missed a low changeup to become the final out of the second inning, Sabathia hit the milestone. He amassed five strikeouts in the game before leaving in the bottom of the sixth with the Yankees trailing, 2-1.
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Career Strikeout Leaders (* = left-handed) |
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| Yrs Active | Strikeouts | ||
| 1 | Nolan Ryan | 1966-1993 | 5714 |
| 2 | Randy Johnson* | 1988-2009 | 4875 |
| 3 | Roger Clemens | 1984-2007 | 4672 |
| 4 | Steve Carlton* | 1965-1988 | 4136 |
| 5 | Bert Blyleven | 1970-1992 | 3701 |
| 6 | Tom Seaver | 1967-1986 | 3640 |
| 7 | Don Sutton | 1966-1988 | 3574 |
| 8 | Gaylord Perry | 1962-1983 | 3534 |
| 9 | Walter Johnson | 1907-1927 | 3509 |
| 10 | Greg Maddux | 1986-2008 | 3371 |
| 11 | Phil Niekro | 1964-1987 | 3342 |
| 12 | Fergie Jenkins | 1965-1983 | 3192 |
| 13 | Pedro Martinez | 1992-2009 | 3154 |
| 14 | Bob Gibson | 1959-1975 | 3117 |
| 15 | Curt Schilling | 1988-2007 | 3116 |
| 16 | John Smoltz | 1988-2009 | 3084 |
| 17 | CC Sabathia* | 2001-present | 3002 |
CC Sabathia Career Summary
Sabathia is in his 19th season. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians for seven full seasons. During his eighth season in Cleveland, he went to the Milwaukee Brewers in a mid-season trade. This deal saw Zach Jackson, Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, and, later, Michael Brantley go to Cleveland in return. After he joined the Brewers, he went 11-2 down the stretch with a 1.65 ERA, seven complete games, and three shutouts. His efforts helped the Brewers win the National League Wild Card – their first postseason appearance in 26 years and third in franchise history.
After the Brewers lost the Division Series, three games to one, to the Philadelphia Phillies, Sabathia became a hot commodity in free agency. During the Winter Meetings in late December, he signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the New York Yankees, a contract that was later extended by two years and $50 million.
In his first year with the Yankees, he went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA. He dazzled in the first two rounds of the playoffs, earning ALCS MVP after a 2-0, 1.13 ERA effort against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This led to Sabathia’s only appearance in the World Series, where the Yankees defeated the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies, four games to two.
His next three years were his last three all-star seasons to date. In 2011, he peaked, going 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA and 230 strikeouts, feats that have not been equaled by him since.
In his career, he has averaged 189 strikeouts per 162 team games. This ran his career total to 2986 at the end of 2018.
3000 Strikeout Club
3000 strikeouts by a pitcher is not commonplace, considering that Sabathia is only the 17th pitcher ever to do so. It, along with the 300 Win Club, is one of the two most prestigious career marks a pitcher can reach. The comparable club for hitting is the 3000 Hit Club, and there are 32 members.
Every retired member of the 3000 Strikeout Club is in the Hall of Fame, with two exceptions — Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling. Both reached about 60% of the available votes most recently. Since they each have up to three years left on the ballot, they most likely will eventually reach the 75% threshold necessary for election. With this history, Sabathia can be sure to join them when he retires.
Main Photo
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