Indians pitchers set MLB record for 200-plus strikeouts in a season

Indians starter Mike Clevinger was walking the tightrope in the bottom of the second inning Sept. 22 at Progressive Field.

There were no outs and two Boston runners aboard. Clevinger got Blake Swihart on a pop up to shortstop for the first out. He worked the count to 3-and-3 on Jackie Bradley, Jr, then got a called third strike on a 95-miles-per-hour fastball.

Jackie Bradley vigorously disagreed when home plate umpire Greg Gibson rang him up, but to no avail. Clevinger had his fourth strikeout of the fall-like evening and 200th of his breakout season.

With that strikeout by the 27-year-old right-hander from Florida, the Indians became the first team in majorleague history to have four pitchers notch 200 or more strikeouts in the same season.

Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (16-9, 3.35 ERA) leads the K brigade with 217 strikeouts in 30 appearances, 29 starts. Trevor Bauer (12-6, 2.21 ERA), coming back from a broken bone on his right leg, has 215 strikeouts in 26 starts.

Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (19-7, 2.93 ERA) has 205 strikeouts in 31 starts.

Clevinger finished with six strikeouts in five innings, raising his season total to 202.

To lend perspective to what the Indians starters have accomplished this season, consider that some of the best starting staffs in franchise history did not come close to duplication this feat.

The 2017 staff has Kluber (265) and Carrasco (226) past the 200-K standard and Bauer close at 196.

From the World Serieswinning season of 1948 to 1954, staffs that included future Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, Herb Score and Mike Garcia never came close to this new standard.

The 1968 staff anchored by “Sudden” Sam McDowell (283 strikeouts) and Luis Tiant (264) were formidable, but not in same category as the current starting staff in terms of overall records and total strikeouts.

The 2013 Detroit Tigers were the last team to have three pitchers finish with 200 or more strikeouts in the same season. They were Max Scherzer (240, Justin Verlander (217) and Anibal Sanchez.