Max Scherzer throws 3,000th strikeout, ties Sandy Koufax's immaculate inning record in same start
Max Scherzer made MLB history on Sunday. Then he made some more history.
And then he almost threw a perfect game.
The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander entered two different small clubs by throwing his 3,000th career strikeout and his third career immaculate inning in one start against the the San Diego Padres.
The immaculate inning came in the second inning:
Max Scherzer is immaculate. pic.twitter.com/3631ior7cI
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 12, 2021
The 3,000th strikeout came three innings later:
The 3,000th strikeout. pic.twitter.com/3H4KzfLb4T
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 12, 2021
Because that apparently wasn't enough to satisfy Scherzer, the ace took a perfect game into the eighth inning until losing it on an Eric Hosmer double. The eight shutout innings were at least enough to bring Scherzer's ERA down to 2.17, passing Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes for the best ERA in MLB.
The Dodgers would eventually win 8-0, continuing their unbeaten streak with Scherzer on the mound.
Max Scherzer is having quite a year
Scherzer, one of the biggest acquisitions at this year's trade deadline, is the 19th player to ever reach the 3,000-strikeout record, the most recent player before him being his former teammate Justin Verlander. Per MLB Stats, Scherzer is the second fastest to reach the mark by innings, behind only Randy Johnson.
He is also one of three players to throw three immaculate innings, the other two being Sandy Koufax and Chris Sale, who joined Koufax in the previously solitary club earlier this season.
That all adds to what was already a historically impressive resume for Scherzer, especially when it comes to strikeouts. The man already has three Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star selections, two no-hitters (one of which was infuriatingly close to a perfect game), a 20-strikeout game and three strikeout titles.
Scherzer hasn't slowed down in 2021 at the age of 37, either. He entered Sunday as a legitimate contender for his fourth Cy Young Award with a 2.28 ERA, 210 strikeouts and an NL-best 0.857 WHIP in 154 innings for the Dodgers and Washington Nationals.
His time with the Dodgers has been particularly impressive, with a 0.88 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 51 innings across eight starts.
