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Justin Verlander becomes 33rd pitcher to reach 2,500 strikeouts

Justin Verlander has joined an exclusive club.

The Houston Astros ace became just the 33rd pitcher in Major League Baseball history to amass 2,500 career strikeouts during a dominant outing against the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday night.

It was in the 9th inning of a 5-hit shutout that the longtime Detroit Tigers pitcher notched the historic punchout against two-way Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani.

"I'm hoping that he stays healthy so that strikeout is like, one day, when we look back, when I'm a grandfather on my deathbed, I'll be like, 'Yeah, my 2,500th strikeout was against that guy.