Giancarlo Stanton's latest strikeout was a big one, as it put him in an exclusive club.
In the bottom of the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, the New York Yankees' designated hitter fell behind 1-2 against reliever Garrett Cleavinger. Then, Stanton swung and missed at an 86 mph slider to record his first strikeout of the game. It was also the 2,000th of his career.
With that swing and miss, Stanton became the eighth player in Major League Baseball history to record 2,000 strikeouts as a hitter. The others are Reggie Jackson (2,597), Jim Thome (2,548), Adam Dunn (2,379), Sammy Sosa (2,306), Alex Rodriguez (2,287), Miguel Cabrera (2,105) and Andres Galarraga (2,003).
That's some fairly lofty company. Jackson and Thome are Hall of Famers, while Cabrera will be in when he's eligible. If not for performance-enhancing drug scandals, Sosa and Rodriguez would be in as well. Only Dunn and Galarraga aren't Hall of Fame-level players.
While it's a dubious club to enter, Stanton is in some pretty great company.
Entering Wednesday night's action, the 35-year-old is slashing .275/.351/.510, with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 30 games played. Injuries to both of his elbows have cost Stanton most of this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giancarlo Stanton Joins Exclusive Club With Latest Strikeout.
