Members of the 3,000 Strikeout Club, In Perspective, 1923-2019

Congratulations to Justin Verlander, for joining the 3,000 Strikeout Club. He follows CC Sabathia, who did it earlier this season, and is the only active pitcher ahead of him.

For the record, here's the 18 current members of the 3,000 Strikeout Club, in chronological order of when they reached it:

1. Walter Perry Johnson, nicknamed "The Big Train," Humboldt, Kansas, 1887-1946, Washington Senators, vs. Stan Coveleski of the Cleveland Indians, at League Park in Cleveland, July 22, 1923.

He surpassed Cy Young with 2,803 to become the all-time leader. He finished with 3,508, and held the all-time record long after his death. He won the World Series with the Senators in 1924. 

He played before the era of uniform numbers, but was the Senators' manager when they adopted uniform numbers in 1931, wearing 28 that year and 25 in 1932. He then managed the Cleveland Indians most of the next 3 seasons, wearing 10 throughout, making it the number he wore the most. 

The Senators did not retire 28 or 25 for him (and it wouldn't have made sense for them to retire 10 for him), but dedicated a monument to him at Griffith Stadium, which was moved to Walter Johnson High School in nearby Bethesda, Maryland. A statue of him stands outside Nationals Park in Washington.

2. Robert Gibson (no middle name), nicknamed "Bob," "Hoot," and, most often, "Sir," Omaha, Nebraska, born 1935, St. Louis Cardinals, vs. Cesar Geronimo of the Cincinnati Reds, at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, July 17, 1974.

This made Gibson the 1st National Leaguer to reach the mark. He finished with 3,117. He not only won the World Series with the Cardinals, but was named Series Most Valuable Player, in 1964 and 1967. The Cardinals retired his Number 45, and a statue of him stands outside the current Busch Stadium.

3. Gaylord Jackson Perry, Williamston, North Carolina, born 1938, San Diego Padres, vs. Joe Simpson of the Los Angeles Dodgers, at what was then named San Diego Stadium, October 1, 1978.

He finished with 3,534. He won his only Pennant as a rookie with the 1962 San Francisco Giants, and also appeared in the postseason with the 1971 Giants and the 1980 Yankees. He was the 1st pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both Leagues, with the 1972 Cleveland Indians and the 1978 Padres. The Giants retired his Number 36.

4. Lynn Nolan Ryan, nicknamed "The Ryan Express," from the Houston suburb of Alvin, Texas, born 1947, Houston Astros, vs. the same Cesar Geronimo that was Gibson's 3,000th victim, at the Astrodome, July 4, 1980.

He won his only Pennant and his only World Series with the 1969 New York Mets, subsequently appearing in the postseason with the 1979 California Angels, and the 1980, '81 and '86 Astros. But he achieved his milestones after the Mets traded him away.

He once shared the record for most strikeouts in a game (19, and he remains the only man to do that more than twice, having done it 4 times), and still holds the major league records for strikeouts in a season (383 with the 1973 Angels) and in a career. He was the 1st pitcher to surpass Johnson at 3,508, and the 1st to reach 4,000, and remains the only one to top 5,000. He finished with 5,714.

The team now known as the Los Angeles Angels retired his Number 30, while both the Astros and the Texas Rangers retired his Number 34. The Rangers dedicated a statue of him outside Globe Life Park, and it will probably be moved to their new ballpark next season.

5. George Thomas Seaver, nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise," Fresno, California, born 1944, Cincinnati Reds, vs. Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals (later of the Mets), at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, April 18, 1981.

He finished with 3,640. He was the key to the Mets winning the 1969 World Series, and also reached the postseason with the Mets in 1973 (Pennant), the Reds in 1979 (NL West title), and the Boston Red Sox in 1986 (he was not included on the postseason roster, but got a big hand at Shea Stadium when introduced during the pregame festivities in the World Series). 

The Mets retired his Number 41, and announced that a statue of him will be dedicated outside Citi Field next year.

6. Steven Norman Carlton, nicknamed "Steve" and "Lefty," Miami, Florida, born 1944, Philadelphia Phillies, vs. Tim Wallach of the Montreal Expos, at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, April 29, 1981, 11 days after Seaver reached the milestone.

He was the 1st lefthander to reach 3,000, traded all-time leadership with Ryan for a brief time in 1983, became the 2nd player (after Ryan) to reach 4,000, and finished with 4,136. He helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1967 and the Phillies to do it in 1980. He also appeared in the postseason with the 1968 Cards and the 1976, '77, '78, '81 and '83 Phils.

The Phils retired his Number 32, and dedicated a statue to him outside Citizens Bank Park.

He was renowned for being reluctant to talk to the media, resulting in the 1981 joke that the 2 best lefthanded pitchers in baseball were Fernando Valenzuela and Steve Carlton, and neither one of them spoke English.

7. Ferguson Arthur Jenkins, nicknamed "Fergie," Chatham, Ontario, born 1942, Chicago Cubs, vs. Garry Templeton of the San Diego Padres, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, May 25, 1982.

He finished with 3,192. He never appeared in the postseason, having close calls with the Cubs in 1969, '70 and '73; the Texas Rangers in 1974, '78, '79 and '81; and the Red Sox in 1977. The Cubs retired his Number 31. He remains the only Canadian in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

8. Donald Howard Sutton, nicknamed "Don" and "Little D," Molino, Florida, born 1945, Milwaukee Brewers, vs. Alan Bannister of the Cleveland Indians, at Milwaukee County Stadium, June 24, 1983.

He finished with 3,574. Team-wise, he had bad luck: He was a member of Pennant-winners with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966, '74, '77 and '78, but was not with them when they won the 1981 World Series. He was with the Houston Astros that year, and the strike-forced Division Series was won by the Dodgers over the Astros.

He was with the Brewers when they won the 1982 Pennant, but they lost the World Series. He was with the Angels in 1986, but they lost the AL Championship Series. And he was with the Dodgers in 1988, but he was released before the postseason, and missed out on their World Series win.

The Dodgers retired his Number 20. He became a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals, and the Braves have elected him to their team Hall of Fame.

9. Philip Henry Niekro, nicknamed "Phil" and "Knucksie," Lansing, Ohio, born 1939, New York Yankees, vs. Larry Parrish of the Texas Rangers, at Arlington Stadium, July 4, 1984.

He finished with 3,342. Although he also got his 300th career win as a Yankee, he is best remembered as an Atlanta Brave -- and was the last active player with the Milwaukee Braves. He won NL West titles with the Braves in 1969 and 1982, but never a Pennant.

The Braves retired his Number 35, and dedicated a statue of him outside Fulton County Stadium, which has been moved to Turner Field and now to SunTrust Park.

10. Rik Aalbert Blyleven, nicknamed "Bert," born in Zeist, the Netherlands and raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Garden Grove, California, born 1951, Minnesota Twins, vs. Mike Davis of the Oakland Athletics, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, August 1, 1986.

He finished with 3,701, 3rd all-time at that point (1992). He reached the postseason at age 20 with the Twins (winning the AL West in 1970), age 29 with the Pittsburgh Pirates (winning the World Series in 1979), and at age 37 with the Twins (winning the World Series in 1987). The Twins have retired his Number 28.

11. William Roger Clemens, nicknamed "The Rocket," Vandalia, Ohio (he didn't get to Houston, Texas until he was in high school), born 1962, Toronto Blue Jays, vs. Randy Winn of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Rogers Centre in Toronto, July 5, 1998.

He finished with 4,672, 2nd all-time when he retired. To put it politely, he is the most controversial pitcher of all time. He reached the postseason with the Red Sox in 1986, '88 and '90; with the Yankees in 1999, 2000, '01, '02, '03 and '07; and with his "hometown" Astros in 2004 and '05.

The Red Sox have elected him to their team Hall of Fame, but neither the Blue Jays nor the Astros have, the Yankees have not put him in Monument Park, and no one has retired his uniform number (21 in Boston and Toronto, 22 in New York and Houston). "Innocent until proven guilty," but what he has been proven guilty of makes him, if not a cheater at the game of baseball, a rotten person.

12. Randall David Johnson, nicknamed "Randy" and "the Big Unit," from the San Francisco (or, rather, the Oakland) suburb of Livermore, California, born 1963, Arizona Diamondbacks, vs. Mike Lowell of the team then known as the Florida Marlins, at the stadium then known as Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, September 10, 2000.

He finished with 4,875, making him currently 2nd all-time to Ryan. He reached the postseason with the Seattle Mariners in 1995 and '97, the Astros in '98, the Diamondbacks in '99, 2001 (winning the World Series) and '02; and the Yankees in 2005 and '06.

The Mariners have elected him to their team Hall of Fame, and the Diamondbacks have retired his Number 51. The Mariners may do the same, but Ichiro Suzuki also wore 51.

13. Gregory Alan Maddux, nicknamed "Greg," lived all over but was trained to play baseball in Las Vegas, Nevada, born 1966, Chicago Cubs, vs. Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants, at Wrigley Field, July 26, 2005.

He finished with 3,371. He reached the postseason with the Cubs in 1989; with the Atlanta Braves in 1993, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '02 and '03; and with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 and '08. The Cubs and Braves both retired his Number 31.

14. Curtis Montague Schilling, nicknamed "Curt" (or "Crybaby Curt"), Phoenix, Arizona, born 1966, Boston Red Sox, vs. Nick Swisher of the Oakland Athletics (later of the Yankees), at the Oakland Coliseum, August 30, 2006.

He finished with 3,116. He reached the postseason with the Phillies in 1993, the Diamondbacks in 2001 and '02, and the Red Sox in 2004, '05 and '07. He has been elected to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame and the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, but no team has retired his Number 38.

15. Pedro Jaime Martínez, Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic, born 1971, New York Mets, vs. Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds, at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, September 3, 2007.

He finished with 3,154. He reached the postseason with the Red Sox in 1998, '99, 2003 and '04; the Mets in 2006; and the Phillies in 2009. He was in position to do so with the Montreal Expos before the Strike of '94 hit.
The Red Sox retired his Number 45, and elected him to their team Hall of Fame.

16. John Andrew Smoltz, from the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan, born 1967, Atlanta Braves, vs. Felipe Lopez of the Washington Nationals, at Turner Field in Atlanta, April 22, 2008.

Finished with 3,084. Reached the postseason with the Braves in 1991, '82, '93, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2001, '02, '03, '04 and '05 (missing the 2000 season due to injury); and with the Cardinals in 2009. The Braves retired his Number 29.

17. Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr., nicknamed "CC" (I also call him The Big Fella), from the San Francisco (or, rather, the Oakand) suburb of Vallejo, California, born 1980, New York Yankees, vs. John Ryan Murphy of the Arizona Diamondbacks, at Chase Field in Phoenix, April 30, 2019.