Heading into Friday night’s match up versus the Arizona Diamondbacks, Max Scherzer totaled 2,575 career strikeouts. After his standard double-digit strikeout performance (7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 10 K), he surpassed pitching greats Bob Feller and Warren Spahn to rank him 27th all time in that category.
Max Scherzer has passed TWO Hall of Famers in one start.
With his 2,584th career K, Max has passed Warren Spahn on @MLB's All-Time Career Strikeout Leaderboard.
(He's now No. 27.)#Scherzday // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/ChNuT53ox3
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 15, 2019
Next on the List
With Feller and Spahn checked off, the next pitcher on the leaderboard is Tom Glavine. Then it’s Chuck Finley, David Cone, Frank Tanana, Cy Young, and Mike Mussina. Each of those pitchers pitched in at least 17 seasons. Scherzer is in just his 12th and should be approaching their totals in no time.
Two of those men are currently in the Hall of Fame with Mussina set for induction next month. The other three were all some of the best pitchers of their generations, despite falling short of the Hall of Fame, Passing these six men will only further cement Scherzer’s legacy.
Scherzer and the 3,000 Strikeout Club
The 34-year-old future Hall of Famer is showing no signs of slowing down. After leading the National League in punch outs the last three seasons and currently leading the league this year, he is on an incredible pace to join the exclusive 3,000 Strikeout Club. He needs just 415 more.
Scherzer has topped 200 strikeouts in each of the last seven seasons and earned himself three Cy Young Awards during that span. Dating back to 2016, Scherzer is averaging almost 6 2/3 innings per start with 11.9 SO/9. At that current pace, if he can continue it, he would need roughly 48 more starts to reach that mark.
The Washington Nationals‘ ace is currently third on the active list trailing only Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia, who eclipsed 3,000 earlier this season against the Diamondbacks on April 30. Verlander and Scherzer, who are former teammates, are still elite performers at this stage in their careers. Baseball fans will get the luxury of watching the exciting race between the two for the next handful of seasons.
Max Scherzer will make his next start June 19 at home, taking on the Philadelphia Phillies.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
