When CC Sabathia made history last month by recording his 3,000th career strikeout, another pitcher lurked close behind him on the all-time leaderboard.
Astros right-hander Justin Verlander is positioned to follow Sabathia into the record book as soon as next season, and he will likely surpass Sabathia thereafter, health permitting.
He showed every bit of his world-class pitch deception Tuesday night in a 5-1 win over the White Sox, striking out 12 over eight innings while allowing just one hit. Verlander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but the bid ended when Jose Abreu drove a home run to left field. No worries, though: He already has two no-hitters in his career.
Verlander also has 2,795 career strikeouts. He has averaged 221 per season over his 15-year career, and he notched a career-high 290 in 2018.
After Tuesday's game, Verlander said he feels immense confidence in his fastball and slider. Those two pitches fueled his stellar outing against the White Sox, and he joked that such simple-minded effectiveness held him back from expanding his arsenal.
"I keep trying to throw my changeup more and more," Verlander told reporters with a laugh, "but it just seems like there are less and less opportunities to use it with the other pitches working so well."
Verlander, of course, is not just a strikeout pitcher, and his mix of longevity and consistency while at the top of his game have helped make him special. His 127 career ERA+, a metric adjusted for era and ballpark tendencies, ranks sixth among active starters and 56th all time. He's also known as one of the better postseason hurlers of the 2000s; he delivered several memorable lockdown performances in Houston's run to a World Series title in 2017 and helped the Tigers win American League pennants in 2006 and 2012.
Signed through 2021, his age-38 season, Verlander should further his reputation as a impeccable workhorse in an era of diminishing pitch counts and increased reliance on bullpens to carry teams to victory.
A few other active pitchers could also get to 3,000 soon. Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer is at 2,536 and is just 34. Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke, 35, got to 2,500 on Tuesday against the Padres; he, too, is well-positioned to make a run. Like Verlander, both are signed through '21.
There are 17 members of the 3,000-strikeout club, including Sabathia.