Mitch Keller's Strikeout Milestone

0:00It's April 20th. Welcome to MLB News Today, powered by AI and ready for first pitch. Mitch Keller just cracked the top 10 in Pittsburgh Pirates history for strikeouts, sitting at 10th with 856 now. He passed Rick Roden's mark of A52 during a solid 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on April 19th at PNZ Park. In that series finale, Keller logged the season-high 7 innings, allowing just two runs and fanning five batters, his best of the year. That performance eased the load on a worn-out Pirates bullpin and sealed his spot in the franchise record book. Keller debuted back in 2019 and this marks his 8th season overall, 7th as a starter. He's thrilled about the milestone, but stays focused, calling it an honor while eyeing more consistency. At his current pace, even with a career-low strikeouts per 9 innings of 5.90 this season, Keller could leapfrog three pitchers. Ahead of him, Steve Blass, Doc Ellis, and Deacon Philippe within the next month, he's only 14 shy of Ellis right now.

1:04With two more years on his extension and just 30 years old, Keller's got time to climb higher on that list, maybe even challenge the all-time. Greats if he keeps dealing like this.