Cease fanned 10 over 6.1 innings to hit the 200-strikeout mark for the sixth consecutive season.
Despite a tough 4-3 loss against the New York Yankees on Sunday, Toronto Blue Jays' right-hander Dylan Cease turned in a historic performance on the mound.
By striking out 10 hitters over 6.1 innings, Cease registered his sixth consecutive season of 200 strikeouts or more (201). He joined several others, including Randy Johnson, with those six seasons, which is the fourth-longest streak in baseball history.
Only Tom Seaver (9), Max Scherzer (8) and Chris Sale, Roger Clemens and Walter Johnson (7) have more.
The right-hander, who was signed to a seven-year deal worth $210 million in the offseason, figures to be right in contention for the American League Cy Young Award. He also started the All-Star Game in his first career appearance in the Midsummer Classic.
After the game, Cease told reporters, including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com:
“This year has been the biggest jump in development I’ve had in a long time. That’s been a lot of fun and really exciting.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesCease has always had electric swing-and-miss stuff, and though he'll still have bouts of control issues from time to time, he's been exceptional at limiting contact, especially hard contact.
He entered the game leading the American League in hits/9, homers/9 and strikeouts/9.
With Kevin Gausman now traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline, he's the anchor of the rotation and will be for the foreseeable future.
The Blue Jays are currently 61-65 and 1.0 game back of the third and final wild card spot, at least as of this posting. Cease is 7-5 with a 2.42 ERA.
An eight-year veteran of the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Blue Jays, he's gone 72-63 with a 3.71 ERA for his career.
Also in Blue Jays news
While the Jays are currently out of the playoff picture, fans should be excited. After a six-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Rays and Yankees, the Blue Jays will have one of the easiest schedules in baseball over the final month of the season.
They will see a number of teams that are under .500, including several teams they are directly battling with in the playoff race, including the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles.
Toronto will be off on Monday before starting that road trip in Tampa Bay. The newly-acquired Jose Soriano, who has brought in from the Los Angeles Angels, will take the ball in a very important Game 1. Tampa Bay was just swept by Baltimore, at home.
