Max Scherzer took the mound for his second start of the season with the Texas Rangers, facing the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. The standout moment of the game came when Scherzer surpassed Greg Maddux on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list by striking out Ramón Urías in the second inning, bringing his career total to 3,372 strikeouts.
Maddux, who was not known as a strikeout pitcher, previously held the No. 11 spot on the list with 3,371 strikeouts before being passed by Scherzer. Scherzer’s four strikeouts in the game brought him to 3,375, just 18 strikeouts behind his former teammate Justin Verlander, who is currently on the injured list.
Verlander had recently passed Maddux for the No. 10 spot on the all-time strikeout list, trailing Walter Johnson in ninth place with 3,509 strikeouts. It seems that Scherzer and Verlander may continue to battle for position on the list as they both near the top five rankings in career strikeouts.
Among active pitchers, Clayton Kershaw is ranked No. 21 with 2,944 strikeouts, Chris Sale is No. 56 with 2,307, and Gerrit Cole is No. 71 with 2,157 strikeouts. The all-time strikeout list is led by Nolan Ryan with 5,714 strikeouts, followed by Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, and Bert Blyleven rounding out the top five.