July 22, 1923: Walter Johnson Starts the 3,000 Strikeout Club

July 22, 1923: The Washington Senators beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-1 at League Park in Cleveland. Indians player-manager Tris Speaker goes 2-for-3 with 2 walks. Walter Johnson of the Senators not only outpitches fellow future Hall-of-Famer Stan Coveleski, but strikes him out, for the 3,000th strikeout of his career. "The Big Train" is the 1st pitcher to reach this milestone. There will not be a 2nd for another 51 years.

Although the batting milestones of 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, and the pitching milestone of 300 wins, were long considered to be automatic qualification for the Baseball Hall of Fame -- the Hall's rules for election specifically state that there shall be no feat that will be considered automatic qualification -- 3,000 strikeouts is not held in the same regard.

For example: When he retired, Bert Blyleven had 3,701 strikeouts, more than any pitcher except Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. And he had won 287 games, more than many pitchers who were in the Hall. Yet it took him 14 tries to get in. Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling, both of whom with at least 3,000, but also with serious questions of moral character, including but not limited to the fact that they are both suspected of using steroids, are not in.

There are now 19 pitchers in the 3,000 Strikeout Club. Johnson was joined by Bob Gibson in 1974, Gaylord Perry in 1978, Nolan Ryan in 1980, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton in 1981, Ferguson Jenkins in 1982, Don Sutton in 1983, Phil Niekro in 1984, Bert Blyleven in 1986, Roger Clemens in 1998, Randy Johnson (no relation to Walter) in 2000, Greg Maddux in 2005, Curt Schilling in 2006, Pedro Martinez in 2007, John Smoltz in 2008, CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander in 2019, and Max Scherzer in 2021.

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July 22, 1923 was a Sunday. These other baseball games were played on that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-4 at Navin Field in Detroit. (The ballpark would later be renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium.) Babe Ruth went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Tigers manager Ty Cobb did not put himself into the game.

* The New York Giants were leading the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4 after 5 innings at the Polo Grounds, when the game was called due to rain.

* Rain in New York City did not prevent 18 full innings from being played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. The Dodgers -- or the Robins, as they were known while Wilbert Robinson managed them from 1914 to 1931 -- lost the opener to the Boston Braves, 14-0. But they won the nightcap, 7-5.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0 at Redland Field in Cincinnati. (The ballpark would later be renamed Crosley Field.) Jesse Haines pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 9-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. George Sisler did not play for the Browns.

* And neither the Philadelphia Phillies nor the Pittsburgh Pirates played. Professional sports on Sunday would remain illegal in Pennsylvania until 1933.