Max Scherzer Reaches 300 Ks, 18 Wins

[ PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST ]

September 26, 2016

Jamal Collier, MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- The crowd at Nationals Park hung on every pitch as they sensed it was near, clapping and chanting along, "Let's go, Max! Let's go, Max!" On the mound, Max Scherzer was as focused as ever on pitching himself into the record books once again. He was locked in a 10-pitch battle with Marlins outfielder Austin Dean as he channeled the energy from the crowd and the moment to fire fastballs in the upper 90s.

After Dean fouled off four straight pitches in the seventh inning of the Nationals' 9-4 victory over the Marlins, Scherzer threw one of his nastiest sliders of the night to record his 300th strikeout in the season. Scherzer became just the sixth pitcher since 1990 to record 300 strikeouts in a single season, joining Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale.

After reaching the 300-strikeout plateau, Scherzer was showered with a standing ovation not only by the crowd of 26,483 fans in attendance, but by the entire Nats dugout and bullpen. He received a bottle of champagne, which he was still carrying around after the game and drinking straight from the bottle to celebrate his latest achievement.

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