This past Friday, April 29, marked the 25th anniversary of Roger Clemens setting the record for most strikeouts in a 9 inning game. On that day, the Rocket fanned 20 batters in a game against the Seattle Mariners. Because of this anniversary I’ve decided to discuss this as the latest “Long Standing Record.” Will any one pitcher ever strikeout 21 batters in 9 innings and shatter this record of most strikeouts in a game? Let’s discuss…..
I have to give credit to the other three fine pitchers who matched Clemen’s and share this record and in doing so, highlight that Clemens matched his one record again, 10 years after establishing it. So here is who jointly owns the records of most strikeouts in a 9 inning game:
20 Strikouts In One Game:
1986 – Roger Clemens (Boston Red Sox). April 29, 1986 vs. Seattle Mariners
1996 – Roger Clemens (Boston Red Sox). Sept. 18, 1996 vs. Detroit Tigers
1998 – Kerry Wood (Chicago Cubs). May 6, 1998 vs. Houston Astros
2001 – Randy Johnson (Arizona Diamondbacks). May 8, 2001 vs. Cincinnati Reds
It’s worth noting that Tom Cheney of the Washington Senators struck out 21 batters in a 16 inning game back in 1962. But for this record we’ll stick with a 9 inning game.
This record is truly remarkable. Think about it, to strikeout 20 batters in one game that means averaging over 2 strikeouts per inning. How many groundball outs, flyouts and popups are made because a batter was able to just make contact? A whole heck of a lot in the course of one ball game.
Now there has to be a lot of things go right for a pitcher to collect that many strikeouts. Obviously his control is impeccable on that day, and he must feel like he can do anything with the ball; paint the corners, have the bottom fall out on his breaking ball and the change up working like no other. Then there’s the mental side of it from a batters standpoint. So you strikeout once, maybe twice early in the ball game. By your third plate appearance you’ve had a pretty good look at the pitcher’s stuff. As a batter you think you have him figured out, only to get that nasty slider on the 0-2 count and that bends beyond your reach and boom, another strikeout. Maybe you don’t have this guy figured out.
So will this record ever be broken? I have to think that yes it will be. Had you asked me 10 years ago, amidst the steroid era when home runs were flying out of every ball park at an alarming rate, I would have said no. But the steroids are gone and baseball has once again turned into a pitcher’s game. Last year alone there were 3 no-hitters and 3 perfect games (the arguement could be made there should have been 1 more no hitter for the Tiger’s pitcher Armando Galaragga, but that’s a story for another day). Pitchers are brought up now a days with having more than two or three pitches to rely on. Everyone has the fastball and usually an offspeed of some type. Throw in a slider, a changeup and a cut fastball and now you have the hitter thinking about many more pitch options coming at him. The pitchers have more control of the game now a days.
Another reason is the mechanics that these young kids are developing and then transforming into big league pitches. Look at the San Francisco Giants ace, Tim Lincecum. He’s nicknamed “the freak” for a reason. The way he torques his body that enables him to throw a baseball is remarkable. The other advantage that Lincecum has is that because his wind-up is so unique, his body hides the ball until late in his delivery, making it almost impossible for the batter to pick up the pitch. Lincecum is just one example of these mechanics and there are so many more in the Majors today.
It will be a marvelous night when this record falls as the baseball world will be left marvelling at the site of 21 batters swinging and missing, all within 9 innings.
I invite your comments on this record. Do you think it will be broken? After all, records were made to be broken…….
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