Overview
- Scherzer recorded his 3,535th career strikeout on Sunday by fanning Cal Raleigh, moving past Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry into ninth on MLB’s all-time list.
- He pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed one hit and one walk, and struck out a season-high 10 to earn his first win since March 31 in a 7-0 Blue Jays victory that completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners.
- The start was the 115th time Scherzer has fanned at least 10 batters in a game and made him the oldest pitcher to record 10+ strikeouts with one or no hits allowed since Nolan Ryan in 1991.
- Scherzer now sits about 20 strikeouts behind Justin Verlander for eighth place, giving him a clear near-term target as he makes several more starts this season.
- Beyond the milestone, the performance strengthened Toronto’s wild-card bid by keeping the club within a game or two of a playoff spot and showed Scherzer can still deliver high-leverage pitching late in his career.