Did you need any more proof Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole were one of the best pitching duos of all time?
OK.
With Verlander's 12th strikeout in Houston's matchup with the Angels on Saturday, he recorded 300 Ks for the first time in his career. But that's not the most impressive part. Cole also struck out over 300 batters this season which gives the 2019 Astros two pitchers who have crossed that threshold.
And that is exceedingly rare. This is only the second time this has ever happened in MLB history.
Cole and Verlander join Diamondbacks pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who both reached the mark in 2002, as the only pair to accomplish the feat. That year Johnson and Schilling finished No. 1 and No. 4 in the National League Cy Young voting, and Cole and Verlander could likely one-up that.
Here's a look at how their numbers stack up to each other:
| Starter | Wins | ERA | Ks | WHIP | ERA+ |
| Curt Schilling | 23 | 3.23 | 316 | 0.968 | 140 |
| Randy Johnson | 24 | 2.32 | 334 | 1.031 | 195 |
| Justin Verlander | 20 | 2.53 | 300 | 0.806 | 183 |
| Gerrit Cole | 19 | 2.52 | 316 | 0.887 | 184 |
On top of this, Verlander joined the 3,000-strikeout club Saturday as well making this a special season for both he and Cole.
Now the Astros will try to do something Schilling and Johnson were unable to do in 2002 — win a second World Series.