Max Scherzer struck out Nomar Mazara in the fourth inning Sunday to record his 2,000th career strikeout. Scherzer is the second pitcher this month to reach the milestone. Clayton Kershaw did it on June 2.
Scherzer needed 1,784 career innings pitched to reach 2,000 strikeouts, the third-fewest in MLB history, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Pedro Martinez reached the mark in 1,711 1/3 career innings and fellow Hall of Famer Randy Johnson did it in 1,733 1/3 innings.
The Elias Sports Bureau also notes that Scherzer tied Nolan Ryan for the third-fewest games needed to reach 2,000 strikeouts, as noted in the graphic below.