On June 10th, Toronto Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer made history by becoming the 11th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to reach 3500 strikeouts. When he struck out Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber in the first inning, there was a brief pause for a standing ovation. The applause from everyone in the ballpark comes as no surprise, though, because Scherzer joins an extremely exclusive club. A few other members of the 3500 strikeout club include Hall of Fame pitchers Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Randy Johnson. Not even Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers was able to achieve this feat during his 18-season career. Scherzer could be the last pitcher to reach this milestone.
Why 3,500 Strikeouts Is One of Baseball’s Rarest Milestones
There’s a compelling reason why only 11 pitchers have reached 3500 strikeouts. To achieve a milestone like this, pitchers are expected to be dominant, rack up innings, and maintain perfect health. An injury requiring Tommy John surgery, a pitcher’s worst nightmare, can erase multiple peak seasons, thereby increasing the difficulty of long-term strikeout accumulation. Scherzer is not immune to that reality, as he was activated off the 15-day Injured List before making his start on Wednesday. His right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation had caused him to miss roughly a month, and that’s not including the time he missed in past seasons.
The fact that Scherzer still reached 3,500 strikeouts despite his injury history makes this milestone even more impressive. The next closest active pitcher to this mark is Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale, who sits at 2,660 career strikeouts. While this strikeout total is impressive, his yearly production has fluctuated significantly, with a high of 308 strikeouts in 2017 and as few as five in 2022 due to multiple injuries that season. Sale’s and Scherzer’s careers are clear examples of how difficult it is to maintain both health and consistency long enough to approach 3,500.
Modern Pitching Makes 3,500 Strikeouts Nearly Impossible
When looking at the increase of pitchers throwing 100+ mph fastballs, though, it seems like getting strikeouts would be easier. While pitchers are throwing harder than in years past, the workload per game is decreasing. Scherzer’s career blossomed when managers would expect the starters to log an average of 200 innings per season. Being able to have almost 10 seasons of around 200 innings pitched gave him a major boost in tallying more strikeouts per start.
Now, pitchers have seen a drastic reduction in workload, with the average start lasting approximately 5.2 innings. Over a full season, that typically translates to around 160 innings for healthy starters. A big reason for the reduction is that modern pitching now relies more on maxing out velocity, stricter pitch counts, and incorporating bullpen games. As a result, elite starters no longer accumulate the innings needed to approach all-time strikeout territory unless they sustain peak performance for well over a decade.
Current and future pitchers may continue to dominate in shorter bursts by striking out batters on a 100-mph fastball. The structure of today’s game does not favor the kind of long-term accumulation needed to reach this milestone. The combination of injuries, reduced workloads, and evolving pitching strategies makes 3,500 strikeouts one of the most difficult benchmarks in baseball. Scherzer’s achievement is not just a testament to his greatness but rather a milestone that no one might achieve now.
