Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer reacted to moving past Gaylord Perry on the all-time Major League Baseball strikeout list.
Scherzer tied and then surpassed Perry with his 10 strikeouts against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, August 30, as the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners to sweep a three-game series.
With his 3,535th career strikeout, Scherzer now sits in sole possession of ninth place on the all-time MLB K list, and he is just 19 strikeouts behind Justin Verlander for eighth place on the list.
Max Scherzer Reacts to Moving Past Gaylord Perry
Speaking to reporters following the Blue Jays’ big win over Seattle on Sunday, Scherzer shared his reaction to passing the great Perry on the all-time K list.
“I respect who’s on this list. To be moving up the top-10 all time means something. It’s great to do it here at home and have the fans really get into it as well. That’s a special moment and so I’m very thankful for my teammates and the fans and their support,” Scherzer said (via Sportsnet).
Scherzer will have an outside shot of moving past Verlander on the list this season, but he may have to wait until next season to pass him.
Verlander has already confirmed that he is retiring after this season, while Scherzer could potentially keep playing, so he could continue to move up the K list next season if he does play again.
Blue Jays Keep in Playoff Race
With their massive sweep over the Mariners, the Blue Jays kept pace in the American League Wild Card race.
The team is 1.5 GB of the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, and it just so happens that Toronto is playing Cleveland this week for a three-game set.
That essentially means that these games between Toronto and Cleveland are worth double, so they could ultimately determine who wins the final AL Wild Card berth, making this a key series for both the Blue Jays and Guardians if they want to make it to the postseason this year.
Scherzer, who has won two World Series during his Hall of Fame career, knows how important these games are, and he says that the team’s recent stretch of must-win games has essentially felt like playoff games as the team tries to get back to the dance.
“We’re in the thick of it, we’re in a playoff hunt, but you got to win every single day. Today, we wanted to complete the sweep and go 1-0. That was our focus and that’s what our focus has to be for the rest of the year,” Scherzer said.
“We’ve been saying we’re playing post-season games the last three weeks. It’s kind of right there in front of us, so you got to enjoy the off day and rest up and be ready to just keep your foot on the gas.”
The Blue Jays have a chance to make the playoffs, and if it’s going to happen, more of these strong starts by Scherzer will surely come in handy.
Max Scherzer Reacts to Moving Past Gaylord Perry on MLB K List