Nolan Ryan didn’t do it. Walter Johnson didn’t do it (neither did Randy Johnson). Bob Gibson didn’t to it. Christy Mathewson didn’t do it. But Max Scherzer it …. And Tom Seaver did it one better. And, now, Tyler Alexander had done.
Yesterday (August 3, 2020), Tigers’ southpaw reliever Tyler Alexander did “it “– struck out at least nine batters in a row. In the process, he set the MLB record for consecutive strikeouts by a relief pitcher and tied the American League record for consecutive strikeouts in a game. Alexander fanned the first nine Reds’ batters he faced in the initial game of Sunday’s Tigers/Reds twin bill. He also came so-o-o-o very close to tying (or even breaking) the overall MLB record for consecutive strikeouts in a game (10 … held by Tom Seaver).
The 25-year-old Alexander, in his second MLB season, came on in the top of the third inning, with the Reds leading his Tigers 3-0. He relieved Tiger starter Rony Garcia after a Nick Castellanos’ home run to open the frame. Alexander proceeded to fan the entire Reds’ lineup in order (on 39 pitches/29 strikes), getting five swinging and four looking. His victims and the counts: 2B Mike Moustakas (2-2); 3B Eugenio Suarez (0-2); DH Jesse Winker (0-2); CF Nick Senzel (1-2); 1B Josh VanMeter (0-2); SS Freddy Galvis (3-2); C Tucker Barnhardt (1-2); LF Shogo Akiyama (1-2); and RF Castellanos (2-2).
Remember, I said he came so very close to tying the overall record of ten straight whiffs? Alexander was one pitch away from that tenth consecutive strikeout when he hit Moustakas with a pitch on a 1-2 count). Who knows, he might even had broken the record, since he fanned the next batter (Suarez) – on five pitches. What if he had snuck that third strike past Moustakas? After fanning Suarez, Alexander walked pinch hitter Matt Davidson (after pinch runner Travis Jankowski was out stealing) and was replaced on the mound by Carson Fulmer. Alexander’s line for the day 3 2/3 IP, no hits, one walk, one HBP and ten strikeouts. (He came into the game with 50 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings (16 appearances/8 starts).
Tyler Anderson broke the record of consecutive strikeouts by a relief pitcher– set at eight by Yankee Ron Davis (against the California Angels) on May 4, 1981.
We’ll look at those players with at least nine consecutive strikes out in this post, but first a look at the state of the game – from a strikeout perspective.
In today’s throw-hard/swing-hard game, we should not be surprised when whiff records are tied or fall (earlier this season, the Indians’ Shame Bieber tied the MLB record for strikeouts in a pitchers’s first two starts of a season with 27). For that story, click here). MLB has seen a new season record for total strikeouts every year since 2008. Consider that 1987 was the first year MLB topped 25,000 strikeouts, Given, MLB has added four teams since then, but also has added 17,724 strikeouts in a season (2019) – going from 6.0 strikeouts per nine innings to 8.9.
Now those players with nine (or ten) consecutive strikeouts in a game.
Ten Consecutive Strikeouts in a Game— standing all alone.
Tom Seaver, Mets … April 22, 1970.
Seaver started the game (versus the Padres) and seemed to get stronger in the late innings. He went into the top of the sixth with a 2-1 lead, having given up just two hits, two walks and one run (a solo home run by Padres LF Al Ferrara), with nine strikeouts. He got the first two batters on a foul pup up and a fly to right, fanned Ferrara to end the frame and went on to strike out the side in order in the seventh, eighth and ninth. Seaver, in the game, tied Steve Carlton for the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game at 19 (a record since broken).
Seaver, of course, is a Hall of Famer – an All Star in 12 seasons and a three-time Cy Young Award winner. He led the league in strikeouts five times and retired (after 20 MLB seasons … 1967-86) with 3,640 strikeouts in 4,783 innings pitched.
Nine Consecutive Strikeouts in a Game (in addition to Tyler Alexander)
Mickey Welch, New York Gothams (NL) … August 28, 1884
Mickey Welch fanned the first nine batters he faced, as he earned a 10-2 win for his Gothams – over the Cleveland Blues on August 28, 1884. Welch fanned 14 in the contest.
Mickey Welch holes the record for the most consecutive whiffs to start a game.
Welch, a Hall of Famer, pitched 13 MLB seasons (1880-92), going 307-210, 2.71 and fanning 1,850 batters in 4,802 innings. He won 20 or more games in nine seasons (a high of 44 wins in 1885). Ah, it was a different game back then. He never led his league in strikeouts, although he did fan 345 batters in 1884.
Jake Peavy, Padres …. April 25, 2007, Padres
Jake Peavy started against the Diamondbacks (in Arizona) on April 25, 2007. He got the first two batters on a strikeout and ground out before giving up a pair of singles (but getting out of the inning with a runner tossed out a third base). He then struck out the side in order in the second, third and fourth innings (eight swinging, one looking), before walking LF Eric Brynes on a 3-2 pitch to start the fifth (ending his streak at nine). Peavy ended up with a no-decision after going seven innings and giving just two hits and three walks (no runs), with 16 strikeouts.
Peavy was a three-time All Star in a 15-season MLB career (2002-16). He went 152-126, 3.63, with 2,207 strikeouts in 2,377 innings pitched. His best year was 2007, when he led the NL in wins (19 versus six losses), ERA (2.54) and strikeouts (240). He also led the league in whiffs in 2005 and struck out 200 or more batters in three consecutive seasons (2005-07).
Ricky Nolasco, Marlins … September 30, 2009
Rickey Nolasco’s 2009 season might not be considered an artistic success. Although he won 13 games (nine losses), he pitched to a 5.06 earned run average. Starting against the Braves (in Atlanta) on September 30, however, he brought his “A” game. He breezed through the first two innings, giving up just a single and then upped the ante – striking out the side in order in the third, fourth and fifth frames, before giving up a double to 1B Adam LaRoche to open the sixth. Nolasco got the win, going 7 2/3 innings (four hits, two runs, no earned runs, two walks and 16 strikeouts).
Nolasco pitched 12 MLB seasons (2006-17), going 114-118, 4.56, with 1,513 strikeouts in 1,887 2/3 innings. His high in strikeouts for a season was 195 in 2009. His best season was 2008, when he went 15-8, 3.52 for the Marlins.
Aaron Harang, Dodgers …. April 13, 2012
Harang got out of the box quickly against the Padres on April 13, 2012. He gave up a leadoff single to Padres’ CF Cameron Maybin and then fanned the next nine Padres he faced (all swinging third strikes) – until Padres’ LF Will Venable led off the fourth with a home run. (All nine were swinging.) Harang ended up with a no decision, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings, while fanning 13.
Harang pitched 14 MLB seasons, going 128-143, 4.26, with 1,842 strikeouts in 2,322 innings pitched. He led the NL in strikeouts (for the Reds) in 2006 with 216. That was his best season, as he also led the league in wins (16, with 11 losses), starts (35) and complete games (6).
Doug Fister, Tigers … September 27, 2012
Fister was cruising in his September 27, 29012 start against the Royals. After three inning, he had given up no runs (a single and a HBP), had fanned one and haw thrown just 36 pitches. In the fourth inning, he got the first two batters on ground outs, before fanning C Salvador Perez (looking) on an 0-2 pitch. He went on to fan the side in the fifth sixth, as well as the first two batters in the seventh before Perez broke the streak with a ground out short-to-first. Things went a bit south in the eighth inning, as Fister gave up three runs on two double and two singles before being relieved with two outs in the frame. H ended with a no decision, 7 2/3 IP, three runs (two earned), no walks and ten strikeouts. The Tigers did get the win, by a 5-4 score.
In his 10-season MLB career (2009-18) Fister went 83-92, with a 3.72 ERA and 970 strikeouts in 1,422 1/3 innings pitched. His high in strikeouts was 159 in 2018, when he went 14-9, 3.67 in 32 starts (33 appearances). His best season was 2013, when he went 16-6, 2.41 for the Nationals, but fanned only 98 batters in 164 innings.
Max Scherzer, Nationals … October 3, 2015
Like Tom Seaver’s, Max Scherzer’s strikeout steak was part of a double header (Game Two. in this case) and, also like Seaver, he seemed to get stronger as the game went on. Scherzer went into the bottom of the sixth (versus the Mets), having thrown five perfect innings with eight strikeouts. Mets ‘catcher Kevin Plawecki was safe on an error by third baseman Yunel Escobar to end the perfecto, but Scherzer go the next three hitters, including a strikeout of RF Curtis Granderson to end the inning. Scherzer went on to strike out the side in the seventh and eighth innings and got the first two hitters’ on strikeouts in the ninth before Granderson broke up the streak with an infield pop out to end the game. Scherzer end up with a no-hitter (his second of the season), 17 strikeouts and was just an error short of a perfect game. All nine whiffs in Scherzer’s streak were swinging punch outs.
At one point in the October 3 (second game) Nationals/Mets matchup, 11 consecutive batters went down on strikes. The Mets’ Hansel Robles fanned the last two hitters in the top of seventh, Scherzer fanned three consecutive Mets in the bottom of the seventh, the Mets Erik Goeddel fanned all three Nats he faced in the eighth, Scherzer again had a 1-2-3 strike out inning in the bottom of the eighth.
Max Scherzer is in his 13th MLB season. He is a seven-time All Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner. He has led the NL in strikeouts three times (a high of 300 in 2018) and fanned 200 or more batters in eight seasons. He has also led his league in wins four times, complete games four times and shutouts twice.
Max Scherzer seems to like the record books he share the record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game (20), as well as the record for no-hitters in a season (two).
Primary Resources: Stathead.com; Baseball-reference.com; MLB.com
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