TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer moved into ninth place on the career strikeout list Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer reached the mark by striking out Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh for the second out of the seventh inning, the 3,535th of his career.
It was Scherzer’s season-high 10th strikeout of the game, the first time this season he has fanned 10 or more. His previous high was five.
Earlier this month, Scherzer passed Hall of Famer Walter Johnson and into 10th place all-time by striking out former teammate Kyle Schwarber to begin the sixth inning of an Aug. 8 win at Philadelphia.
Scherzer, 42, struck out the side in the first Sunday, getting all three of Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone and Julio Rodríguez swinging.
Josh Naylor struck out looking in the second, and went down swinging with a runner at second base to end the fourth.
Arizona’s first round pitch in the 2006 draft, Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion. He debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2008 and has also pitched for Detroit, Washington, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, and Texas.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.