Max Scherzer 1st Pitcher Ever with 15 Ks in 19 Outs or Less

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer was dealing during Sunday's contest against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies and made some history in the process.

According to MLB Stat of the Day, the right-hander became the first player in MLB history to tally at least 15 strikeouts while posting 19 outs or less.

Scherzer exited after 6.1 innings and finished with 15 strikeouts, one earned run allowed, five hits allowed and two walks.

That Scherzer was the one to set this record comes as no surprise given his immense talent. He won the 2013 American League Cy Young as a member of the Detroit Tigers and captured the last two National League Cy Young Awards for the Nationals.

He led the league in strikeouts in 2016 with 284 and again in 2017 with 268 and will add a third strikeout crown to his already sterling resume if he continues to pitch like he did Sunday.

As the Nationals pointed out, punchouts are nothing new for the veteran:

"What this guy brings every fifth day is just unreal," Dan Kolko of MASN wrote. "We're watching a future Hall of Famer in his prime truly dominate."

Unfortunately for the Nationals and Scherzer, he was forced to hand the ball to the bullpen in the seventh inning after throwing 111 pitches. Things went downhill from there for Washington as Sammy Solis allowed an RBI single while Brandon Kintzler gave up an RBI double and RBI single.

The three runs from the Phillies in the frame gave them the lead and eliminated the chance Scherzer would earn a win for his efforts.