Scherzer becomes 4th pitcher ever with 4 straight 250-K seasons
You simply cannot hit "Mad Max."
Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer continued to rack up the strikeouts Tuesday night, and in doing so he joined some very unique company. Scherzer fanned Atlanta Braves starter Luiz Gohara in the third inning Tuesday for his 250th strikeout of the year, marking the fourth consecutive season he's surpassed that number.
Max Scherzer is the 4th pitcher in @MLB history to record 250+ Ks in 4 straight seasons.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 20, 2017
The other 3 are in the @baseballhall. pic.twitter.com/mZqwvGk7PA
Scherzer is now only the fourth pitcher in history to rack up at least 250 strikeouts in four consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins, Pedro Martinez, and Randy Johnson - the latter of whom did it in a record six straight years.
| Pitcher | Years | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Fergie Jenkins | 1968-1971 | Cubs |
| Pedro Martinez | 1997-2000 | Expos/Red Sox |
| Randy Johnson | 1997-2002 | Mariners/Astros/D-Backs |
| Max Scherzer | 2014-2017 | Tigers/Nationals |
Scherzer, the defending National League Cy Young Award winner, was already a front-runner to earn his second straight Cy and third of his career before his 250th K Tuesday night. In addition to his NL-leading strikeout total, the 33-year-old is also pacing Senior Circuit pitchers in complete games (two) and WHIP (0.917), while sporting a 2.59 ERA across 28 starts for the playoff-bound Nats prior to Tuesday.