Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader set a MLB record on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
The left-hander entered came in with one out in the seventh inning and a one-run lead and struck out eight of the nine batters he faced to preserve the 6-5 win.
.@jhader17 often gets compared to Randy Johnson.
The last pitcher to record a save of 8+ K's before Hader did tonight … the Big Unit himself. pic.twitter.com/0gEKSGmnch
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2018
The 24-year-old became the first reliever in MLB history to record eight strikeouts in such a short appearance, according to Baseball Reference. Seven relievers have punched out eight batters over three innings, but no one had ever done it in just 2⅔ innings.
Hader’s also the first player since Randy Johnson in 1996 to record eight strikeouts during a save. Johnson needed four innings.
Hader has now struck out 39 batters in 18 innings.
But he’s got a little way before catching the Big Unit.