Scherzer sets new career high in strikeouts

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer has recorded yet another milestone strikeout.

In the bottom of the fifth inning on Thursday, Scherzer sat down his New York Mets counterpart Jason Vargas for his 285th strikeout of the season to establish a new career-high, eclipsing his previous best - which he set just two years ago. The milestone also set a new record for strikeouts in a single season by a Nationals pitcher.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Pedro Martinez continues to hold the single-season strikeout mark for the organization. The Hall of Famer tallied 305 strikeouts for the Montreal Expos in 1997.

The 34-year-old Scherzer went on to finish his start with 13 strikeouts over seven innings of work, upping his major league-leading strikeout total to 290. Thursday marked his 81st career game featuring double-digit strikeouts, a total that's good for eighth all-time, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

Scherzer is in the midst of his seventh consecutive 200-strikeout season and fifth straight year with 250-plus K's. If he can strike out 10 in what's likely to be his final start of 2018 on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, he'd become only the third pitcher this decade to have a 300-strikeout season.