Max Scherzer made his second start of the season for the Texas Rangers on Friday night, facing the Baltimore Orioles. The highlight of the game came in the second inning when Scherzer surpassed Greg Maddux on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list by striking out Ramón Urías, bringing his career total to 3,372 strikeouts.
Before being passed by Scherzer, Maddux held the No. 11 spot on the list with 3,371 strikeouts. This marked a significant milestone for Scherzer, who is now just 18 strikeouts behind his former teammate Justin Verlander, who is currently on the injured list.
Verlander had recently passed Maddux for the No. 10 spot on the all-time strikeout list, trailing Walter Johnson in ninth place with 3,509 strikeouts. It seems that Scherzer and Verlander may continue to battle for position on the list as they both near the top five rankings in career strikeouts.
Among active pitchers, Clayton Kershaw is ranked No. 21 with 2,944 strikeouts, Chris Sale is No. 56 with 2,307, and Gerrit Cole is No. 71 with 2,157 strikeouts. The all-time strikeout list is led by Nolan Ryan with 5,714 strikeouts, followed by Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens rounding out the top three spots.
The game between Texas and Baltimore was a closely contested matchup with both teams battling it out until the end of the night. However, it was Scherzer’s standout performance that ultimately led to a victory for Texas over Baltimore.
Overall, Max Scherzer’s impressive performance this season has put him atop Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list and set him up to challenge for a top spot among active pitchers as he continues to make strides towards achieving his goal of reaching Hall of Fame status.
