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 against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. Scherzer, aged 42, reached a career total of 3,516 strikeouts in his ninth start of the season, moving one ahead of Johnson and trailing only Justin Verlander (3,554) among active pitchers in strikeouts.

In the sixth inning, Scherzer struck out Kyle Schwarber to surpass Johnson before allowing back-to-back home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, tying the game at 2 and ending his outing. Prior to that, he had dominated, pitching five scoreless innings against the Phillies, giving up only three hits and retiring nine batters in a row. Despite the late struggles, Scherzer 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 (No. 11 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Scherzer boasts an impressive resume, including three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star selections, and two World Series championships.

In a separate development, George Springer was unexpectedly pulled from Toronto’s starting lineup against the Phillies due to left shoulder tightness. Scheduled to be the designated hitter and bat fourth, Springer, with a batting average of .234, 12 home runs, and 36 RBIs in 86 games, has been managing the issue for a couple of days according to Manager John Schneider, who expressed optimism that it wouldn’t be a prolonged setback. Springer later entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.