Max Scherzer moved past another baseball legend Saturday night.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander struck out Kyle Schwarber for his fourth punchout against the Philadelphia Phillies, passing Walter Johnson for sole possession of 10th place on MLB’s all-time strikeout list.
Scherzer entered the game three strikeouts away from matching Johnson. His third punchout tied the Hall of Famer at 3,515 before he struck out Schwarber to reach 3,516 and claim 10th place outright.
MLB shared a clip of the milestone strikeout on X, formerly Twitter, as the three-time Cy Young Award winner secured another historic career achievement.
Max Scherzer passes Walter Johnson on MLB strikeout list
Scherzer finished with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. The 41-year-old allowed two runs on five hits without issuing a walk and departed with Toronto and Philadelphia tied at 2-2.
Elias Sports Bureau, MLB’s official statistician, credits Johnson with 3,515 career strikeouts. Scherzer now trails only nine pitchers in major league history.
Nolan Ryan leads the all-time list with 5,714 strikeouts, followed by Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven, Tom Seaver, Don Sutton, Justin Verlander, and Gaylord Perry.
Scherzer previously became the 11th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,500 career strikeouts earlier this season. Coincidentally, he also achieved that milestone by striking out Schwarber during a June meeting with Philadelphia.
The veteran has built his career across stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Blue Jays. He also won World Series championships with the Nationals in 2019 and the Rangers in 2023.
Now alone in 10th place, Scherzer continues climbing one of baseball’s most exclusive leaderboards.
