Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer climbed to 10th place in all-time strikeouts, surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson during the Blue Jays’ 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday evening. Scherzer, aged 42, recorded his 3,516th career strikeout in his ninth start of the season, edging past Johnson by one strikeout and trailing only Justin Verlander (3,554) among active pitchers.

During the game, Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber at the start of the sixth inning, moving ahead of Johnson, but then surrendered back-to-back home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, allowing the Phillies to tie the game at 2-2 and ending his outing.

Scherzer had a strong performance, pitching five scoreless innings and limiting Philadelphia to just three hits before the home runs by Turner and Harper. He finished the game with four strikeouts, conceding two runs on five hits, and reducing his ERA to 7.25.

Originally drafted in the first round (11th overall) by Arizona in 2006, Scherzer boasts an impressive resume, including three Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star selections, and two World Series championships.

In a related development, George Springer was a last-minute exclusion from the starting lineup against the Phillies due to left shoulder tightness. Scheduled to bat fourth as the designated hitter, Springer, who has a .234 batting average with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 86 games, had been managing the issue for a few days according to Manager John Schneider. However, Schneider expressed confidence that the injury would not be a long-term concern. Springer did make an appearance as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.