Max Scherzer joined a small group of pitchers to have struck out 20 batters in a single game. The Washington Nationals’ star did so against the Detroit Tigers in a 3-2 win on May 11. Before Scherzer, only Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood had struck out 20 batters in a nine-inning game. In total, Scherzer threw 119 pitches, and 96 of them were for strikes. The Tigers got only four hits.
Read more about Max Scherzer’s 20-strikeout game.
Scherzer’s effort posed problems for more than just the Tigers. Every time a Nationals pitcher throws a strikeout, fans put up a “K” sign in the outfield. In baseball scorekeeping, “K” means strikeout. However, as Scherzer entered the ninth inning with 18 strikeouts, the fans realized they only had 20 signs. Thankfully for them, he only struck out two more batters.
