Last week, starter Frankie Montas became just the fifth pitcher in over a half-century of Oakland A’s history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. After making his final start of the year on Wednesday, he took one more small step up the club’s record books.
Montas fanned seven batters against the Seattle Mariners, putting him at 207 for the summer. That’s the second-highest total ever by an Oakland pitcher in a single season, trailing just Vida Blue, who struck out 301 hitters in 1971.
- 301: Vida Blue, 1971
- 207: Frankie Montas, 2021
- 205: Dave Stewart, 1987
- 205: Todd Stottlemyre, 1995
- 205: Barry Zito, 2001
Making Montas’ achievement even more impressive is that it took him only 187 innings.