ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom earned his 1,900th career strikeout in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, becoming the second-fastest pitcher to that milestone by games and innings.
Seiya Suzuki struck out swinging on a 91.3 mph slider to end the inning after Moisés Ballesteros swung and missed on a 98.1 mph fastball for the second out.
The 1,900th strikeout came in deGrom's 256th appearance, all as a starter. Hall of Famer Randy Johnson reached that mark in his 252nd game in 1997.
Johnson is second on the career strikeout list at 4,875. The left-hander was 33 when he reached 1,900; deGrom turns 38 next month and has dealt with numerous injuries in the past five years.
After the first inning, deGrom was at 1,578⅓ for his career. Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale reached the milestone in 2019 at 1,560⅓ innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.