Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer achieved a career milestone by moving into 10th place all-time in strikeouts during the Blue Jays’ victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The 42-year-old right-hander, in his ninth start of the season, now has 3,516 career strikeouts, surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson by one. Among active pitchers, Scherzer is second only to Justin Verlander, who has 3,554 strikeouts.
Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber at the start of the sixth inning to surpass Johnson but then allowed consecutive home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, leading to a tie game at 2 and ending his performance for the night. Prior to that, Scherzer had pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and retiring nine batters in a row. Despite the late setbacks, he finished the game with four strikeouts, conceding two runs on five hits and lowering his ERA to 7.25.
Drafted in the first round as the 11th overall pick by Arizona in 2006, Scherzer boasts an impressive resume including three Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star selections, and two World Series championships.
In a separate development, Toronto’s George Springer was unexpectedly removed from the starting lineup against the Phillies due to tightness in his left shoulder. Scheduled to be the designated hitter batting fourth, Springer’s absence was attributed to ongoing discomfort he has been managing in recent days. However, manager John Schneider expressed confidence that the issue was not serious, and Springer later entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.