Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer climbed to 10th place in all-time strikeouts, surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson during the Blue Jays’ 7-5 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday evening. Scherzer, aged 42, achieved a career total of 3,516 strikeouts in his ninth start of the season, overtaking Johnson by one strikeout and ranking second among active pitchers behind Justin Verlander (3,554). In the sixth inning, Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber to surpass Johnson but then allowed back-to-back home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, tying the game at 2 and concluding his performance for the night.
Prior to the consecutive home runs, Scherzer had dominated, pitching five scoreless innings against Philadelphia, conceding just three hits and retiring nine batters consecutively. Despite the late-game setback, Scherzer finished with four strikeouts, giving up two runs on five hits and reducing his ERA to 7.25. Notably, Scherzer was a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in the 2006 draft by the Arizona team. He boasts three Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star selections, and two World Series championships in his illustrious career.
In another development, Toronto’s George Springer was unexpectedly removed from the starting lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies due to tightness in his left shoulder. Scheduled to be the designated hitter batting fourth, Springer was replaced at the last minute. Springer, who holds a batting average of .234 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 86 games, had been managing the shoulder issue for a couple of days, according to Manager John Schneider. However, Schneider expressed minimal concern about the injury persisting, and Springer later made an appearance as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.