Ausmus connected to almost every 20-strikeout game

Brad Ausmus has a penchant for being on the wrong side of 20-strikeout games.

While catching for the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 18, 1996, Ausmus squared off against Boston Red Sox ace Roger Clemens at Tiger Stadium. Clemens struck out 20 Tigers that day, the second time he'd reached the mark in his career.

Two years later, Ausmus found himself behind the plate for the Houston Astros on May 6, 1998 at Wrigley Field. On the mound for the hometown Chicago Cubs that day was one Kerry Wood, who punched out 20 Astros in one of the most dominating performances of all time.

So the Tigers manager probably wasn't pleased to be on the losing end of a third 20-strikeout game Wednesday when Max Scherzer set down 20 of his players on strikeouts in the Washington Nationals' 3-2 win.

He was able to offer a unique perspective, however, comparing the three performances.

"It wasn't quite as dominant as Kerry Wood, and it was more dominant than Clemens," Ausmus told reporters of Scherzer's outing.

Related: Scherzer's dominant outing captured by surreal images

For the record, Ausmus fared better during Clemens' 20-K game, going 1-for-3 with a single while striking out just once. Against Wood, he was 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.