Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays achieved a milestone by moving into 10th place all-time in strikeouts, surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson during the Blue Jays’ 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday evening. At 42 years old, Scherzer, in his ninth start of the season, now boasts 3,516 career strikeouts, surpassing Johnson by one. He ranks second among active pitchers in strikeouts, trailing only Justin Verlander who has 3,554 strikeouts.
During the game, Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber in the sixth inning, surpassing Johnson, before giving up back-to-back home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, which tied the game at 2 and led to the end of his outing. Despite the late-game setback, Scherzer had an impressive performance, pitching five scoreless innings, allowing only five hits and striking out four batters to lower his ERA to 7.25.
Originally selected in the first round (No. 11 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft, Scherzer has an illustrious career, including three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star appearances, and two World Series championships.
In another development, George Springer was unexpectedly removed from Toronto’s starting lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies due to left shoulder tightness. Scheduled to be the designated hitter and bat fourth, Springer has been hitting .234 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 86 games this season. Manager John Schneider indicated that Springer had been managing the issue for a couple of days but expressed confidence that it would not be a long-term concern. Nonetheless, Springer did make an appearance as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.