Justin Verlander joined a very small group of pitchers in Major League Baseball history Sunday afternoon.
The San Francisco pitcher struck out three in the opening inning of the Giants’ 8-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. The third strikeout made him just the 10th pitcher in big-league history to record at least 3,500 strikeouts in his career.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner received a big ovation from the home crowd at Oracle Park as he closed the inning and slowly walked back to the dugout before tipping his cap.
Verlander is now 10th on MLB’s all-time strikeouts list, nine away from matching Walter Johnson. Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader with 5,714. Verlander is the active leader in the big leagues. Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are the only other active players in the top 30.
“I was happy to get there, happy to have the moment with the fans,” Verlander said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s cool. It’s a cool milestone, something that I really appreciate what it’s taken to get there.”
Despite the historic start, Verlander struggled the rest of the way against the Nationals, a team he was previously unbeaten against in his career. The 42-year-old allowed 11 hits and five runs in five innings. The Nationals put up four runs in the second inning, thanks to a two-RBI double from James Wood and a two-run homer from CJ Abrams.
The win was the second straight for the Nationals, who now sit at 47-70. The Giants are 59-59 and are third in the NL West. Verlander holds just a 1-9 record this year, his first with the Giants, in 20 starts and nearly 100 innings pitched. He signed a one-year, $15 million deal to join the Giants this season after a short run back with the Houston Astros.
San Francisco will be back in action Tuesday night to begin a three-game series with the San Diego Padres. Verlander is slated to make his next start Aug. 16 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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