Max Scherzer made his second start of the season for the Texas Rangers on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, and passed one of the sport’s legends on the MLB all-time strikeout list.
Scherzer struck out Ramon Urias in the second inning to earn 3,372 strikeouts, passing Greg Maddux for 11th all-time. He recorded four strikeouts in a 2-1 loss, giving him a 3.375 strikeout average, 18 behind former teammate Justin Verlander.
Maddux has never been known as a strikeout pitcher, but that feels like a little trick he’s been playing on fans throughout his career. Prior to this season, he ranked in the top 10 in career strikeouts with a 3.371 average.
Verlander passed Maddux last month for 10th place and is now ninth behind Walter Johnson’s 3,509. But Scherzer is closing in on Verlander, who is currently on the disabled list, and he may soon overtake his two-time teammate as the two spend the rest of their careers battling to surpass each other and perhaps move closer to the top five all-time.
No other active pitchers come close to matching the numbers of Verlander and Scherzer. Clayton Kershaw is currently 21st in strikeouts with 2,944, Chris Sale is 56th with 2,307 and Gerrit Cole is 71st with 2,157.
MLB all-time strikeout list
1. Nolan Ryan — 5,714
2. Randy Johnson — 4,875
3. Roger Clemens — 4,672
4. Steve Carlton — 4,136
5. Bert Brilleven — 3,701
6. Tom Seaver — 3,640
7. Don Sutton — 3,574
8. Gaylord Perry — 3,534
9. Walter Johnson — 3,509
10. Justin Verlander — 3,393
