In a 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays made history by moving into 10th place all-time in strikeouts, surpassing the legendary Walter Johnson. The 42-year-old pitcher achieved this milestone in his ninth start of the season, bringing his career total to 3,516 strikeouts, edging past Johnson by a single strikeout and placing him second among active pitchers, just behind Justin Verlander.
Scherzer’s accomplishment came in the sixth inning when he struck out Kyle Schwarber, surpassing Johnson, before allowing consecutive home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, which tied the game at 2 and led to the end of his outing for the night. Despite this, Scherzer had a strong performance, pitching five scoreless innings and only allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 7.25.
Originally drafted in the first round (No. 11 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Scherzer boasts an impressive resume, with three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star selections, and two World Series championships under his belt.
In a separate development, George Springer was a last-minute omission from the Blue Jays’ starting lineup against the Phillies due to left shoulder tightness. Initially slated to be the designated hitter batting fourth, Springer, with a .234 batting average, 12 home runs, and 36 RBIs in 86 games, has been managing this issue for a few days. However, Manager John Schneider expressed confidence that it was not a serious concern, and Springer later entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.