Add another historic milestone to the Hall of Fame career of Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Max Scherzer.
On Saturday night, Scherzer notched his 3,516th career strikeout after he struck out Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber looking. The strikeout moved Scherzer past Walter Johnson to take sole possession of tenth place on MLB's all-time strikeout list.
While there is no doubting Scherzer's career accolades, the past few seasons have been difficult for the 42-year-old pitcher. He's only been able to make 34 big league appearances since the start of the 2024 season, as he has struggled with multiple injuries. Scherzer joined the Blue Jays last season and came within a few outs of winning his third World Series ring.
If Scherzer is able to stay healthy, the next three spots above him on the all-time strikeout list are certainly within reach. Gaylord Perry is in ninth place with 3,534 strikeouts, Justin Verlander is in eighth place with 3,554, and Don Sutton is in seventh with 3,574.
This season is on pace to be the worst statistical year of Scherzer's career. In eight starts this year, Scherzer is 1-4 with an uncharacteristically high 7.25 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in just 30.2 innings of work.
Of course, Scherzer will need to sign with a team next season to have a chance at climbing the list. He's currently on a one-year, $3 million contract with the Blue Jays and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Although Toronto does need starting pitching help, they will likely be looking to get younger next season, especially after they acquired both Jose Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti at this year's trade deadline.
The rest of the top 10 all-time strikeout leaders consist of Nolan Ryan (5,714), Randy Johnson (4,875), Roger Clemens (4,672), Steve Carlton (4,136), Bert Blyleven (3,701), and Tom Seaver (3,640).
