Baseball History: Virgil Trucks Sets 20th Century Strikeout Record
By David Hill
A hard thrower for the Detroit Tigers, Virgil Trucks gave fans an idea of what was to come in his first season in the minors. On this day in 1938, he made baseball history with his 418th strikeout of the season, setting a record for the 20th century.
It was easy to see why the Detroit Tigers signed Virgil Trucks as an amateur free agent. Boasting a tremendous fastball, Trucks was easily one of the hardest throwers of his time. During his time in the majors, it was said that his fastball rivaled Bob Feller.
That impressive fastball was on display during his first season as a professional. Prior to joining the Detroit Tigers organization, Trucks pitched for the Andalusia Bulldogs of the Alabama-Florida League. At 21 years old, he dominated the league, posting a 25-6 record, along with a 1.25 ERA and a 0.982 WHiP.
Yet, that was not the most impressive part of his performance. Although he allowed 125 walks in his 273 innings, Trucks was able to avoid disaster because of his incredible strikeout rate. On this day in 1938, Trucks made baseball history by recording his 418th strikeout of the season, setting the record for the 20th century.
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From there, it did not take long for Trucks to reach the majors, as he made his debut in 1941. He remained in the majors for 17 years, missing most of two seasons due to World War Two. Overall, Trucks had a 177-135 record with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.306 WHiP, striking out 1534 batters. A two time All Star, he was a part of the Tigers 1945 championship team, winning the World Series in his only postseason appearance.
Trucks also had one of the strangest seasons in baseball history in 1952. He was just 5-19, but three of his victories were shutouts. Of those, two were no hitters, the only two he would throw in his major league career. Interestingly, he won both games 1-0, as the Tigers offense was essentially non-existent that season. Trucks did fire four no hitters during his time in the minors as well, where his amazing fastball overpowered the opposition.
Virgil Trucks had one of the more impressive seasons in baseball history in 1938. On this day, he struck out his 418th batter, setting a record for the 20th century.