Scherzer passes Verlander for 10th on career strikeout list with 3400 most among active pitcher
-
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Max Scherzer always has the mindset to be aggre sive on the mound, attack hitters and find ways to pitch around lineups while being in the strike zone. Along the way over 17 big league seasons, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has piled up a lot of strikeouts. The Texas Rangers right-hander now has more than any other active pitcher. Scherzer moved into 10th place on the career strikeout list with 3,400 after pa sing former teammate and fellow three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander while fanning a season-high nine in the on Thursday. When youre talking about a milestone like this ... this is all about https://www.nationalsday.com/washington-nationals-jersey/keibert-ruiz-jersey durability. This is about being year-in, year-out healthy, Scherzer said. I know Ive been shaking some injuries here as of late, but over the course of my career, Ive been able to be healthy and be durable and be able to make my posts and go out there and compete just year-in, year-out, and continue to get better every single season. Two days before his 40th birthday and five days after an outing limited to two innings because of arm fatigue, Scherzer (2-3) threw 62 of 85 pitches for strikes. He allowed one run and walked one while pitching three-hit ball over six innings. It was only his seventh start since . Incredible career hes had, and reached quite a milestone. Amazing, now he's in the top 10 in strikeouts," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. A huge bounce-back game for Scherzer. I mean absolutely dominant, catcher Andrew Knizner said. All his stuff was working. Slider was sharp, heater was coming out hot, mixing all of his pitches, hitting spots. ... Just a cla sic game from Scherzer. And honestly, I think he was getting better as the game went. It was his 464th career game and 455th start, second only to Verlander's 519. Scherzer's 216 wins are second on the active list to the 260 by the 41-year-old Verlander, who hasn't pitched for Houston since June 9 because of neck stiffne s that caused him to go on the injured list. Scherzer has also played for Arizona, Detroit, Washington, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Mets. He was part of World Series titles with Washington in 2019 and the Rangers last season after being a trade deadline acquisition from New York. For me, this is all about the World Series. Thats what motivates me, Scherzer said. My motivation is to win the World Series. And so thats really kind of the only goal I have, and really the only thing I play for. ... When thats my mindset, you know, I feel like everything else falls into place. Verlander and Scherzer were teammates with the Tigers from 2010-14, a span when both won baseballs top pitching award. Scherzer was the Cy Young winner in 2013, and then again in 2016 and 2017 with the Nationals. Verlander won that award in 2011, and in 2019 and 2022 with the Astros. Scherzer pa sed Verlander with his third strikeout against Chicago, and 3,394th of his career, when Eloy Jimnez took a 93.3 mph fastball for a called third strike in the second inning. Scherzer had matched his former teammate with his second strikeout, when Andrew Vaughn swung and mi sed an 83.8 mph slider for the final out of the first. Ver's a great pitcher and we're going to continue going head-to-head over this for a while, Scherzer said. Were going to be ping-ponging over this. Scherzer had exited last Saturday's start against Baltimore, his first after the All-Star break, after two innings and 53 pitches. Knizner said he knew in the pregame bullpen warmup that it was going to be a good outing Thursday. Scherzer agreed with the catcher that he was throwing his best pitches later in the game. Thats a good sign," Scherzer said. Thats kind of a midseason form you're kind of looking for. https://www.nationalsday.com/washington-nationals-jersey/cade-cavalli-jersey