Max Scherzer ties the major league record by striking out 20 batters in a nine-inning game against his former team as the Nationals defeat the Tigers, 3 – 2. He now shares the mark with Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson. Scherzer does not issue a single walk in the game.
Diamondbacks flamethrower Randy Johnson strikes out 20 Reds in Arizona’s 4 – 3 win over Cincinnati in 11 innings. Johnson gets all 20 in his nine innings of work, but does not officially tie Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood’s record since the contest goes into extra frames. The Reds score two in the top of the 11th, but the D’Backs come back with 3, scoring the winning run on a bases-loaded walk by reliever Danny Graves.
On May 6, 1998, Chicago Cubs rookie Kerry Wood ties a major league record by striking out 20 batters in a 2-0, 1 hit shutout of the Houston Astros. Wood’s performance sets a new National League record for a nine-inning game, while tying Roger Clemens’ mark for most K’s in a nine-inning game….
Roger Clemens, in his final victory wearing a Red Sox uniform, ties his own record for strikeouts in a game when he strikes out 20 batters in a nine-inning game, going the distance in the team’s 4-0 victory in Detroit. The ‘Rocket’ first achieved the feat a decade earlier against the Mariners.
On April 29, 1986, Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox sets a major league record by striking out 20 batters in a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. The 23-year-old Clemens surpasses the record of 19 strikeouts shared by Hall of Famers Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver.
Bob Sprout sets a Midwest League record with 22 strikeouts, and pitches a 7-inning no-hitter as Decatur defeats Waterloo, 3 – 0. The 18-year-old lefty needs a dropped foul ball for his chance at the record. Sprout will pitch just one game in the major leagues, with the Angels in 1961.