ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom earned his 1,900th career strikeout in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, becoming the second-fastest pitcher to that milestone by games and innings.
Seiya Suzuki struck out swinging on a 91.3 mph slider to end the first inning after Moisés Ballesteros swung and missed on a 98.1 mph fastball for the second out.
The 1,900th strikeout came in deGrom’s 256th appearance, all as a starter. Hall of Famer Randy Johnson reached that mark in his 252nd game in 1997.
Johnson is second on the career strikeout list at 4,875. The left-hander was 33 when he reached 1,900, while deGrom turns 38 next month and has dealt with numerous injuries the past five years.
After the first inning, deGrom was at 1,578 1/3 for his career. Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale reached the milestone in 2019 at 1,560 1/3 innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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