Close your eyes for a second and imagine just how hard it is to strike out an MLB hitter.
Now, imagine someone doing it 2,000 times.
Sounds hard, doesn’t it?
Well, Arizona Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner is about to reach that milestone.
“Madison Bumgarner is 4 strikeouts away from becoming the 84th pitcher in @MLB history to reach 2,000 in his career,” the D-Backs Twitter account wrote on Wednesday.
Madison Bumgarner is 4 strikeouts away from becoming the 84th pitcher in @MLB history to reach 2,000 in his career. pic.twitter.com/iHEEH7D4RG
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 22, 2022
Bumgarner should be able to reach the milestone in his next outing.
That start will come on Wednesday when he takes on the tough San Diego Padres.
Only 83 pitchers so far have struck out at least 2,000 hitters in their careers.
It may sound like a lot, but believe us: it’s a tiny percentage of all the pitchers that have gone up on a major league mound.
A Really Cool Achievement For A Highly Accomplished Pitcher
And the funniest part of all is that none of those strikeouts and regular-season stats have been the most impressive part of Bumgarner’s MLB career so far.
He is known as a postseason hero and was the most important player in the San Francisco Giants’ 2014 World Series run.
He was also a part of the 2010 and 2012 World Series-winning squads, and a major piece of the Giants’ early-2010s dynasty.
He has a 0.25 World Series ERA!
He is almost 33 and far from his prime, but he is still helping the D-Backs stay afloat.
With a 3.45 ERA in 70.1 innings, he has been decent this year, although he is not the force he once was.
He has amassed an incredible career so far, and the 2,000 strikeouts are just the icing on the cake.
