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 night. Scherzer, aged 42, achieved a career total of 3,516 strikeouts in his ninth start of the season, moving ahead of 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, surpassing Johnson’s record, but then allowed consecutive home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, resulting in a tie game and ending his performance for the night.

Prior to that, Scherzer had pitched five scoreless innings against Philadelphia, conceding only three hits and retiring nine batters in a row. Despite the late-game setback, he finished with four strikeouts, giving up two runs on five hits and bringing down his ERA to 7.25.

Scherzer, originally chosen as the 11th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft, boasts an impressive career resume with three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star appearances, and two World Series championships.

In a separate development, Toronto’s George Springer was unexpectedly removed from the starting lineup against the Phillies due to tightness in his left shoulder. Although scheduled to be the designated hitter batting fourth, Springer was sidelined with the issue. Manager John Schneider mentioned that Springer had been managing the discomfort for a couple of days but expressed optimism that it would not be a long-term concern. Despite not starting, Springer did participate in the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.