Watch: Atlanta Braves dazed with Max Scherzer's pitching as the Mets ace leaves CC Sabathia behind

Max Scherzer joined an elite group of pitchers on Monday night. The New York Mets ace pitched a gem, allowing only three hits and one earned run in seven innings.

After only recently returning from an injury, the 37-year-old recorded his sixth win of the season in a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.

More notably, the Mets starter struck out nine hitters to further establish his place amongst baseball's all-time elite pitchers.

"Max Scherzer notches his 4th strikeout of the evening, and passes CC Sabathia for 17th place on the all-time MLB strikeout list with 3,094" - SNY

Scherzer passed CC Sabathia to reach the 17th place in the all-time strikeout list. He has now amassed a total of 3099 career strikeouts in his 15-year career in the majors.

Aside from Justin Verlander, who sits just above Scherzer in 16th place on the list, the remaining pitchers are no longer active. This means that every strikeout will now bring Scherzer closer to that coveted top 10 spot.

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Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer reaches No. 17 on the all-time strikeout list

Max Scherzer of the New York Mets throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants

Verlander currently has 3111 strikeouts, only 12 ahead of Scherzer. Both pitchers will almost certainly overtake Curt Schilling (3116) and Bob Gibson (3117), who sit in the 14th and 15th spots, respectively. Boston Red Sox great Pedro Martinez holds the 13th spot with 3154, only 55 ahead of Scherzer.

The record is held by Texas legend Nolan Ryan, who remains in a league of his own. His total of 5714 strikeouts in 5386 innings seems almost insurmountable.

"Max Scherzer since returning from the IL: 13 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 20 K" - SNY Mets

If he can remain healthy, Scherzer has a real chance of reaching the top five. Injuries have restricted him to only 10 starts and 62.2 total innings this season.

The break for the upcoming All-Star game should allow him some additional rest time before his next start.

"Scherzer on defeating the Braves: 'When you can collect wins against them, that’s kind of a measuring-stick win. It’s a good feeling.'" - Deesha

With fellow All-Star Jacob deGrom set to return in a few weeks, this pitching rotation is fast emerging as one of the strongest in the National League. The Mets will hope their most established pitchers can maintain these high levels as they enter the second half of the season.

The New York Mets are 54-33 after last night's win, 2.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves and eight games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.