Scherzer passes Cy Young for 22nd on all-time strikeout list

Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer passed Cy Young for 22nd on the all-time strikeout on list Friday. He punched out Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Eduardo Escobar for the 2,807th strikeout of his career in the seventh inning of a masterful performance.

Scherzer added another to finish the frame, leaving him with 2,808 as he exited the game. He'll continue to climb the leaderboard as the season progresses, as he trails Hall of Famer Mike Mussina by five.

Baseball Reference has Young listed at 2,803 career strikeouts, so Scherzer passed the legendary right-hander even earlier, depending on who you ask.

It's quite the feat for Scherzer, who ranks second in strikeouts among active players behind Houston Astros veteran Justin Verlander (3,013), whom he could pass if Verlander misses the entire year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Young's name is synonymous with great pitching, and his name adorns the annual awards for the top pitcher in both leagues. Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards in his 14-year career.

Manager Davey Martinez offered his congratulations as Scherzer left the game after his seven innings. Scherzer's reaction was priceless.

"It's awesome. I told him congratulations when he came out, and he kind of looked at me. I said, 'Yeah, you just passed Cy Young.' His response was, 'Yeah, I have three of those on my wall,'" Martinez said, according to Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.

Scherzer has another milestone on the horizon as well - he tallied 10 strikeouts on Friday, marking the 99th time in his career that he's punched out double-digit opponents.