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Washington Nationals: Max Scherzer and the 300-strikeout club

By BobMueller|
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25:Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) threw ten strikeouts during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. Scherzer finished the season with 300 strikeouts. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25:Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) threw ten strikeouts during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. Scherzer finished the season with 300 strikeouts. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Washington Nationals
ST. LOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 25: Curt Schilling of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on September 25, 2002 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images)

The Diamondbacks Duo

Randy Johnson’s strikeout dominance continued into the next millennium. He struck out 347 batters in 2000, 372 in 2001, and 334 in 2002, which represent three of the top 10 strikeout seasons of all-time. If that wasn’t enough on its own, consider that Johnson was 36, 37, and 38 years old when he was ringing batters up at this prolific pace.

In addition to his six 300-strikeout seasons, the Big Unit had 294 strikeouts in 1995, when the season started late after the 1994 work stoppage. The Mariners only played 145 games that year and Johnson likely missed out on three or four starts. He could easily have had another 300-strikeout season that year.

Johnson had one final shot at 300 strikeouts in 2004, when he was 40 years old. He ultimately came up 10 short and finished the year with 290 strikeouts. Nine years after he last pitched in the big leagues, he ranks fourth all-time in strikeout rate for starting pitchers with at least 1000 career innings.

Johnson’s career strikeout rate of 28.5 percent sits behind three current pitchers, Chris Sale (30.2 percent), Stephen Strasburg (29.0 percent) and Max Scherzer (28.6 percent). Of course, Sale, Strasburg and Scherzer have the advantage of pitching in the highest strikeout era in baseball history.

One other pitcher topped 300 strikeouts in the 2000s and it was a familiar face. When Randy Johnson had 334 strikeouts in 2002, his teammate, Curt Schilling racked up 316 himself. It was the seventh time two pitchers had 300 strikeouts in the same season, but the first time it was accomplished by teammates.

Schilling had an impressive total of three seasons with 300 strikeouts. He also came close one other time when he struck out 293 batters in 2001. If he had been able to strike out another seven batters that season, he and Johnson would have been the first teammates with 300-strikeout seasons a year earlier. As it was, neither Johnson nor Schilling would approach 300 strikeouts again after the 2002 season and the feat wouldn’t be accomplished again for another dozen years.

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