Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer climbed to 10th place in all-time strikeouts, surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson during the Blue Jays’ 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday evening. Scherzer, aged 42, recorded his 3,516th career strikeout, moving ahead of Johnson by one and ranking second among active pitchers behind Justin Verlander (3,554).
In the sixth inning, Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber to surpass Johnson, but then allowed back-to-back home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, tying the game at 2 before exiting the game. Scherzer had a dominant performance, pitching five scoreless innings, allowing only five hits and striking out four. His ERA dropped to 7.25.
Originally selected as the 11th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft, Scherzer boasts an impressive resume, including three Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star appearances, and two World Series championships.
Meanwhile, Blue Jays’ George Springer was a last-minute omission from the lineup against the Phillies due to left shoulder tightness. Scheduled to be the designated hitter and bat fourth, Springer has been batting .234 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 86 games this season. Manager John Schneider mentioned that Springer had been managing the issue for a couple of days but expressed confidence that it would not be a long-term concern. Springer later entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.