Wake Up With Justin Verlander's 2,000th Career Strikeout
When you consider that 5,714 strikeouts are the most ever tallied by one pitcher, then 2,000 strikeouts doesn’t seem like a whole hell of a lot. But the truth is, Nolan Ryan was just a freak of nature, and we’ll never see anything like that ever again. In addition to that, Ryan’s ridiculous amount of strikeouts in his career should not take away from the accomplishment that striking out 2,000 batters at the major league level truly is. Racking up 2,000 strikeouts isn’t on the same level as hitting 500 home runs or collecting 3,000 hits, but when you’re one of 76 pitchers in baseball history to accomplish a certain milestone, that puts you in a pretty decent class. This won’t be the last time that we see a pitcher reach 2,000 strikeouts this season, either. Cole Hamels (1,973) and Zack Greinke (1,938) are both knocking on the door to the 2,000 strikeout club.