Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer achieved a milestone in strikeouts, moving into 10th place all-time by surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson during the Blue Jays’ 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Scherzer, 42 years old and in his ninth start of the season, now has 3,516 career strikeouts, one more than Johnson, placing him second among active pitchers, behind Justin Verlander with 3,554 strikeouts.
Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber at the start of the sixth inning to surpass Johnson but then gave up back-to-back home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, which tied the game at 2-2 and concluded his outing. Prior to those homers, Scherzer had pitched five scoreless innings against the Phillies, allowing just three hits and retiring nine batters in a row. In total, he gave up two runs on five hits, with four strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 7.25.
Originally drafted in the first round (No. 11 overall) by Arizona in 2006, Scherzer has an impressive career with three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star selections, and two World Series championships.
Meanwhile, outfielder George Springer was a last-minute absence from the Blue Jays’ lineup against the Phillies due to left shoulder tightness. Scheduled to be the designated hitter and bat fourth, Springer has a batting average of .234 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 86 games this season. Manager John Schneider mentioned that Springer had been managing the issue for the past few days but expressed optimism that it would not be a long-term concern. Despite not starting, Springer did enter the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.