The 3,000 Strike-out club is an exclusive place, with only 17 pitchers in the history of baseball making it to this feat.
Justin Verlander already had a strong case for the Hall of Fame, but the 3,000 K club is one of those "golden rule" type numbers. Of the 17 who have achieved it, 14 are in the hall. Of the remaining 3, CC is still active and Clemens/Schilling await their fate (although their lack of selection is for other reasons).
How rare is 3,000 strikeouts? Well lets compare it to the other golden tickets to the Hall of fame, with just 18 members it is far more exclusive than:
- 500 Steals (39 members)
- 3,000 hits (32 members)
- 500 Homeruns (27 members)
- 300 Game winners (24 members)
- Perfect Game (23 members)
So I wanted to take a moment and recognize the absurdity of this number.