It’s safe to say that Houston Astros veteran right-hander Justin Verlander is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, and in last night’s meeting between his Astros and the Seattle Mariners, he became the MLB active-strikeouts leader. As a result of an incredible, season-high, 12-strikeout showing, Verlander usurped former teammate Max Scherzer as the active strikeouts king. If that wasn’t enough, Verlander also passed childhood hero John Smoltz’s strikeout total, moving Verlander to 17th on the all-time strikeouts list.