On Friday, Max Scherzer had a chance to hit a major milestone against the Cleveland Guardians. He was one strikeout away from 3,500 for his career, which would have made him only nine strikeouts from being No. 10 on MLB’s all-time list.
Instead, he did not hit either mark. Scherzer failed to record a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs and six hits. Three of those hits, including the one from the very first batter he faced, were home runs. This marks the first time this season a pitcher has allowed three homers without getting a strikeout, according to Stathead.
The early homer was part of an uncharacteristically rough start for Scherzer, who gave up five runs in the first inning. He held the score in the top of the second but allowed a two-run homer from Angel Martínez in the third. That homer came after a dramatic 11-pitch at-bat, during which the Guardians center fielder hit seven straight foul balls before Scherzer threw three balls to bring the count full. Martínez then sent the next ball into deep right field, scoring both himself and Rhys Hoskins.
Right after that, Scherzer was pulled from the game and relieved by Joe Mantiply. The Blue Jays scored a couple more runs in the bottom of the sixth to narrow the Guardians' lead, but Cleveland won the game 8-6.
Scherzer was close to becoming the 11th player in MLB history to reach 3,500 career strikeouts and just the second active player (alongside Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers) to achieve that milestone. His failure to strike out a batter means Blue Jays fans will have to wait until his next start to see Scherzer make history.