On Wednesday night the Chicago Cubs helped Twins rookie starter Joe Ryan make history by striking out 11 times in just five innings. Ryan became just the second rookie starter since 1901 to go at least five innings while allowing three or fewer hits in his first four major league starts. He struck out the last seven Cubs he faced, falling just three short of Tom Seaver’s consecutive whiff record.
This Cubs team has also made another kind of history. With 1,520 strikeouts, the 2021 Cubs are now one of just 19 major league teams since the origin of the universe to whiff 1,500 or more times.