Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer registered his 3,500th career strikeout in the first inning of Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Scherzer wasted no time, striking out leadoff batter Kyle Schwarber to join the exclusive club.
Scherzer is the 11th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to reach the milestone.
Scherzer may well end up as the final pitcher to record 3,500 strikeouts. There are only six active pitchers with at least 2,000 career strikeouts, including Scherzer and leader Justin Verlander. Next on the list is 37-year-old Chris Sale, who entered Wednesday with 2,665 strikeouts. Scherzer, Verlander, and Sale are the only active pitchers with more than 2,500.