Scherzer Rolls a 300 – Joins an Elite Pitching Fraternity

September 25, 2018 by
Max Scherzer photo

Photo by Keith Allison

Tonight (September 25, 2018), three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer became the 40th pitcher in major league history – and just the 17th since 1900 – to reach 300 strikeouts in a season. Scherzer ran his 2018 total to 300 by fanning ten Marlins in seven innings (five hits, one earned run and no walks) as the Nationals won 9-4. On the season, Scherzer is now 18-7, 2.53 with 300 strikeouts in 220 2/3 innings pitched. Scherzer fanned one batter each in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings and two each in the second, fourth and seventh.  His tenth victim of the game and 300th of the season was Marlins’ LF Austin Dean for the second out in the seventh.

Here, in honor of Scherzer’s feat, are a few 300-strikeout tidbits.

  • 41 MLB pitchers have turned in 67 seasons of 300 or more strikeouts – 31 of those before 1900.
  • 1884 saw a record 15 pitchers notch at least 300 strikeouts – since then, there have never been more than five in any single season (1886). Since 1900, there has never been more than two 300 strikeout pitchers in any season.
  • Currently active pitches with 300-strikeout seasons, in addition to Scherzer, are: Chris Sale (308 in 2017) and Clayton Kershaw (301 in 2015).

The Exclusive 500 Club

Only one MLB pitcher has ever fanned 500 batters in a season – and that was Matt Kilroy, who whiffed 513 batters in 583 innings as a 20-year-old rookie with the 1884 American Association Baltimore Orioles. Of course, it was a different game back then.

In 1884, Kilroy started 68 of the Orioles 139 games (49 percent) – and completed 66 of them. (That season, American Association starting pitchers finished an average of 96 percent of their starts.) Despite five shutouts and a 3.37 earned run average (the league ERA was 3.44), Kilroy finished 29-34 for the last-place (46-85) Orioles.

While Matt Kilroy is the only major league pitcher to ever reach 500 strikeouts in a season, five more have reached 400. 400K

  • There were no 300-strikeout campaigns  between 1912 (Walter Johnson – 303) and 1946 (Bob Feller – 348).
  • Rube Waddell’s 349 strikeouts in 1904 stood as the post-1900 record for 61 years (Sandy Koufax – 382 in 1965). Koufax’ record held for just eight seasons (Nolan Ryan – 383 in 1973, still the post-1900 MLB record). Koufax still holds the NL post-1900 record for whiffs in a season.
  • The only team to boast two 300+ strikeout pitchers in the same season is the 2002 Diamondbacks – Randy Johnson (334) and Curt Schilling (316).
  • The decade of the ‘70s (1970-79) saw 11 seasons of 300 or more whiffs by a pitcher – the most in any decade post-1900.
  • From 1900 through 1962, there were a total of just five 300 or more strikeout campaigns.

Post 1900 K

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