Scherzer studied Gibson, now passes him

NEW YORK -- Max Scherzer keeps racking up strikeouts for the Mets and passing legends along the way. This one meant something extra.

Scherzer passed Bob Gibson -- and Curt Schilling -- on the all-time AL/NL strikeouts list in the Mets' second-half opener Friday night at Citi Field, notching the 3,118th of his career. Seeing his name move in front of Gibson's was a special moment for Scherzer, who grew up a Cardinals fan in Missouri.

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"That was my dad's favorite pitcher. I'm definitely going to give that ball to him,” Scherzer said. “For me as a kid, growing up, [Gibson] was one of my idols. I did book reports on him left and right."

Scherzer's eight strikeouts in six innings against the Padres in New York's 4-1 loss were just enough to pass Schilling (3,116 K's) and Gibson (3,117 K's).

"You started throwing those names [out there] -- I had one of them, I know how good he was. Obviously, I didn't have the other one," manager Buck Showalter said, referring first to Schilling, who he managed in Arizona, and next to Gibson. "But that's some pretty select company."

The strikeout that moved Scherzer past Gibson was Scherzer's final batter of the game. He ripped a 94 mph fastball past Austin Nola at the top of the strike zone and stalked off the mound in his signature style.

"I know so much of his career and what he meant to the St. Louis Cardinals organization, obviously what he meant to my dad, and to me," Scherzer said. "To pass him, that's a huge thing for me personally."

The Mets ace -- at least, until Jacob deGrom's return, which draws closer by the day -- continues to pitch like it. Since Scherzer's return from a left oblique strain on July 5, he has 39 strikeouts in four starts, averaging nearly 10 a game. His six innings of two-run baseball vs. the Padres left him with a 1.78 ERA over that stretch.

Scherzer took a tough loss Friday, as the Mets' offense sputtered against Yu Darvish, who outdueled Scherzer with seven innings of one-run, nine-strikeout baseball.

The Mets traded earlier Friday afternoon for left-handed slugger Daniel Vogelbach, who will join the team Saturday. They hope that will address some of their issues against right-handed pitching, so outings like Scherzer's don't go wasted.

Scherzer's consistent, dominant presence at the top of the New York rotation will be crucial for the Mets as they try to fight off the Braves in the National League East, even with deGrom set to return in the coming weeks. Remember what Scherzer did for the Dodgers down the stretch last season -- 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 11 starts, with the Dodgers winning all 11 of those games.

Now, if he keeps pitching like that, passing more legends on the strikeouts list will just be a marker of what the future Hall of Famer is doing for a Mets team with World Series aspirations. Up next (besides former teammate Justin Verlander, who's currently three strikeouts ahead of Scherzer and will be jockeying with him all season): Pedro Martinez, with 3,154 K's.

"I think we all know where this story's going to end for his career," Showalter said. "It's an honor to watch him pitch."