Houston Astros veteran pitcher Justin Verlander reached an impressive career milestone by surpassing John Smoltz and Max Scherzer on the all-time strikeout list during Tuesday’s victory over the Seattle Mariners.
“I don’t know if Scherzer counts in that because he’s still playing and I’m still playing, and we’re kind of ping-ponging each other, but Smoltzy is somebody who I idolized growing up” Verlander said, according to MLB.com. “Pretty surreal moment to hear that name.”
Verlander is 17th all-time in strikeouts and will continue to duke it out with Scherzer for the active strikeout-leader.
“It’s nice when it’s brought to your attention while it’s happening,” Verlander continued. “It’s not like you’re counting them down or anything. You’re keeping your head down and keep doing the work and trying to be the best pitcher you can for as long as you can.”
