6 active MLB pitchers with 2000 strikeouts feat. Lance Lynn

There have been 89 pitchers in MLB history who have struck out 2000 batters in their careers. However, there are some phenom active pitchers in the MLB right now who have already hit the record and are still going for the bigger milestone of 3000 strikeouts.

Six active pitchers have achieved this milestone, and they are Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole, and Lance Lynn. These achievements have been some of the greatest moments in the MLB.

So let's take a closer look at these pitchers' feats.

6 active pitchers to have delivered 2000 strikeouts

#1 Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals

Lance Lynn became the 89th pitcher in the history of the MLB to join the 2000-strikeout club. Lynn hit this milestone during the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday at PNC Park. In the Cardinals' game, he threw 13 pitches, which is his career-high for the most pitches thrown in the start. This has made him the newest member of six active pitchers to have recorded 2000 total strikeouts.

#2, Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made it to the club last year, where he opened a crucial series against the Baltimore Orioles. This was the time when the Yankees were on a five-game winning streak and were only five games behind the leading Tampa Bay Rays. He was the 87th pitcher to achieve this milestone and was the third-fastest to do it. Cole was able to strike out 2000 players in just 1714 2/3 innings.

#3, Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Then-Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is the fastest pitcher to have recorded 2000 strikeouts in MLB history, in just 1,626 innings. He achieved this feat as he fanned the Cleveland Indians rookie Oscar Mercado with a deadly slider back in 2019. He surpassed the previous record holder, Pedro Martinez, who had 85 innings more than Sale. Sale had already shown his potential as he had struck 200 batters in the past seven seasons before 2019, at least.

#4 Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw achieved this feat back in 2017 through an extra-innings win against the Milwaukee Brewers. He had become the 79th member to achieve this feat in MLB history. This game was important to Kershaw's legacy, not because of this milestone. He also created a franchise record with 26 strikeouts in just one game. This was the most strikeouts in a game in the Dodgers' history.

#5 Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers

Then-Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer achieved this feat a week later than Clayton Kershaw. In 2017, the MLB received two new members for the 2000-strikeouts club. He made this happen by striking out the Texas Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara in the fourth inning. Even though the Nationals faced a 5-1 loss against the Rangers that day, Scherzer delivered 10 strikeouts in the game and 2,005 in total.

#6 Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander made history in 2016 when he fanned Eddie Rosario in the 4th inning and led his team to a 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Verlander is also currently the active pitcher with the most strikeouts under his belt. He's struck out 3,393 hitters in his career as of now. However, the number is expected to go up since it's still under counting. Alongside Max Scherzer, he's also part of the 3000-strikeouts club.