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Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer enjoyed a historic outing in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers, becoming just the fourth player in major league history to strike out 20 batters in a single game, per MLB Stat of the Day.

In addition to the record-tying strikeout total, he held his former team to two runs on six hits over nine innings, with both runs coming via solo homers—one from Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez and the other from shortstop Jose Iglesias.

Six Detroit players had multiple strikeouts, with five of those (including star first baseman Miguel Cabrera) going down by way of the K three times.

Scherzer joined Roger Clemens (twice), Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson as the only players to strike out 20 batters in a contest, also breaking Bill Gullickson’s Montreal Expos/Nationals single-game franchise record of 18 strikeouts (1980), per Sportsnet Stats.

Making his effort all the more impressive, Scherzer threw just 23 balls among his 119 pitches, easily the fewest by any pitcher in a 20-strikeout game, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Although the magical outing improved his record to 4-2, the hard-throwing righty actually hasn’t quite lived up to his usual standards so far this season, owning a 4.15 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.

Granted, he also has 66 strikeouts in 52 innings, which should allay any potential concerns.

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Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez earned the 146th win of his career on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays, passing Jamie Moyer to take sole possession of first place on the all-time franchise wins list, per Sportsnet Stats.

Now in his 12th MLB season, the 30-year-old righty had an ordinary game by his own lofty standards, limiting the struggling Tampa Bay lineup to two runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings but with only four strikeouts.

Mariners shortstop Ketel Marte provided most of his team’s offense, recording four hits—including two doubles and a homer—in five at-bats, accounting for three runs and three RBI in the process.

Marte also provided the game’s pivotal moment when he broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with his three-run homer off Rays reliever Steven Geltz, who had inherited both runners from fellow reliever Dana Eveland, the losing pitcher in the contest.

Hernandez now owns a 3-2 record, 2.27 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, but he surprisingly has just 33 strikeouts (and 20 walks) over 43.2 innings through seven starts.

Although the numbers alone wouldn’t normally be cause for concern this early in the season, Hernandez’s declining velocity (per FanGraphs) suggests age and accumulated innings may be taking a toll.

Granted, it’s still early, and he’s certainly earned the benefit of the doubt.

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The Chicago Cubs improved to 24-6 with Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals in 13 innings, becoming the first team since the 1984 Detroit Tigers (26-4) to win 24 or more of its first 30 games in a season, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Only the 10th team in MLB history to start 24-6 or better, the Cubs boast an astounding plus-102 run differential, leading all of the majors in both runs scored (184) and allowed (82).

They already have a commanding lead in the National League Central, sitting 7.5 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-14) and nine clear of the St. Louis Cardinals (16-16).

The Pirates qualified for the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and the Cardinals are hoping to add to a streak of five straight years.

It seems likely that both teams will need to gain entrance via the wild-card spots, as the Cubs appear destined to win 100 or more games.

Viewed as one of the World Series favorites before the season, Chicago has no real weakness to speak of, though another relief pitcher certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Granted, that’s merely nitpicking, as the Cubs bullpen enters Monday ranked seventh in the majors with a cumulative 2.99 ERA, led by closer Hector Rondon (six saves, 0.79 ERA) and setup man Pedro Strop (seven holds, 2.03 ERA).

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Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper tied an MLB single-game record by drawing six walks in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs, becoming the first player to achieve the feat since Jeff Bagwell in 1999, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The 23-year-old superstar had six walks and a hit-by-pitch in seven plate appearances during the 13-inning contest, making him the first player in MLB history to reach base seven times in a game without recording a single at-bat, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

It wasn’t enough to prevent his team from suffering a four-game sweep at Wrigley Field, but Harper truly had a remarkable series, drawing 13 walks while logging only four official at-bats (one hit) in 19 plate appearances against the dominant Cubs.

Even after getting swept in Chicago, the Nationals boast a 19-12 record that leaves them a half-game behind the New York Mets (19-11) for first place in the National League East.

The 24-6 Cubs, meanwhile, have become just the 10th team in MLB history to win 24 or more of their first 30 games in a season, per MLB Stat of the Day.

With the NL West looking shaky and the NL Central mediocre behind Chicago, it seems quite possible the Cubs and Nationals could meet again in October, perhaps with a trip to the World Series on the line.

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New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon had an interesting weekend, becoming the oldest player in MLB history to hit the first home run of his career, per MLB Stat of the Day.

With two outs and a runner on second base during the second inning of Saturday’s game against the San Diego Padres, the 42-year-old Colon launched a fastball from Padres pitcher James Shields into the left field stands at Petco Park.

Prior to Saturday, Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson had been the oldest player to hit his first career homer, having done so in 2003 at the age of 40.

Furthermore, Colon became the second-oldest player to hit a home run in a Mets uniform, trailing only the ageless Julio Franco, who homered for the Amazins as a 48-year-old, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Colon needed 226 at-bats for his first long ball, and he has just 21 career hits, with 18 of those being singles.

After striking out in his final two at-bats in Saturday’s contest, he has 121 strikeouts in 228 at-bats (53.1 percent) and a measly .092 batting average.

The Mets obviously don’t mind, as Colon improved his record to 3-1 in Saturday’s eventual 6-3 victory, limiting the Padres to three runs on six hits and a walk over 6.2 innings.

He has a 2.82 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 33 strikeouts through 38.1 innings, having allowed three or fewer runs in each of his seven appearances (six starts) this season.

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With Saturday’s 8-5 win over the Washington Nationals, the 2016 Chicago Cubs became the second-fastest major league team (since at least 1900) to reach a run differential of plus-100, per Sportsnet Stats.

The Cubs needed just 29 games to get to the century mark, trailing only a 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates club that got to plus-100 in its 26th game en route to finishing with a 103-36-3 record.

That Pirates team easily won the National League, but it didn’t have an opportunity to play in the World Series, which was first contested the following year.

The Pirates lost to the Boston Red Sox (then called the Boston Americans) in the first World Series, falling by a tally of five games to three in a major upset.

In any case, the Cubs are positioning themselves for a run at their first World Series title since 1908, as they’re the first National League team since the 1977 Dodgers to win 23 of its first 29 games, per MLB Stat of the Day on Twitter.

Making the 23-6 record even more impressive, the Cubs enter Sunday having won three consecutive games against the Washington Nationals, owners of the National League’s second-best record at 19-11.

Prior to the ongoing series, the Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that reached the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

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Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz hit the 510th home run of his career during Friday’s 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees, passing former Yankee Gary Sheffield to take sole possession of 25th place on the all-time homers list, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Ortiz’s line-shot, two-run homer off Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda in the first inning represented the only runs the team would score all game.

Down 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Boston managed to load the bases for Ortiz with one out, but the slugger struck out looking and was subsequently ejected for arguing the call.

Yankees closer Andrew Miller then fanned Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez for the final out, improving New York’s record to 10-17 while dropping Boston’s to 17-12.

In addition to moving him into the top 25 of the all-time list, Friday’s home run was Ortiz’s 452nd in a Red Sox uniform, pulling him even with Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski for second place on the franchise list, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The leader, of course, is legendary outfielder Ted Williams, who hit each of his 521 home runs in a Boston uniform.

Interestingly enough, Friday’s long ball was Ortiz’s 50th against the Yankees, making him just the sixth player ever to slug at least 50 career homers against baseball’s pre-eminent villains, per MLB Stat of the Day.

The list is unsurprisingly full of former Red Sox, with Ortiz joined by Jimmie Foxx (70), Williams (62), Manny Ramirez (55), Hank Greenberg (53) and Yastrzemski (52). Of the six players, Greenberg is the only one who never played for the Red Sox.

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The Colorado Rockies set a franchise record for runs scored in an inning when they plated 13 during the fifth frame of Thursday’s 17-7 win over the San Francisco Giants, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The offensive barrage began when Rockies shortstop Trevor Story launched a two-strike, hanging slider from Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain over the left field wall.

Sprinkle in a couple of bloops and a few liners to the gap, and suddenly Colorado owned a 17-3 lead. In the top of the fifth inning alone, the Rockies tallied 10 hits and knocked both Cain and Giants relief pitcher Vin Mazzaro out of the game.

Not only did the Rockies set a franchise record with their offensive eruption, but they also became the first team since the 1890 Chicago Colts to score 13 runs in the fifth inning of a National League game, per Sportsnet Stats.

Of course, while new records such as the one set on Thursday are nice, the most significant franchise first would be an NL West division title.

Thursday’s win improved the Rockies to 14-14, pushing them into a three-way tie for first place with the Giants (15-15) and Los Angeles Dodgers (14-14)—two of the preseason favorites to win the NL.

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New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon earned his 220th career win in Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, passing former Mets hurler Pedro Martinez (219) for the second-most wins by a Dominican-born pitcher in MLB history, per MLB Stat of the Day.

The 42-year-old righty struck out seven batters and allowed seven hits in eight scoreless innings, dropping the hapless Braves to 6-19 as the Mets improved to 16-8.

Colon has also enjoyed an excellent season from an individual standpoint, with Monday’s outing improving his record to 2-1, his ERA to 2.56 and his WHIP to 1.14. He even has 28 strikeouts (and just three walks) over 31.2 innings, though he remains a lost cause at the plate with six strikeouts and no hits in nine at-bats.

Colon now needs just 23 more wins to match Juan Marichal (243) for the most by a Dominican-born pitcher, and while it’s unlikely that he’ll reach that milestone this season, Colon could get there at some point next year.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that he’ll play beyond 2016, even though his form suggests that he’ll have plenty left in the tank after this year.

Colon is playing under a one-year, $7.25 million contract in his third season with the Mets.

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Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon recorded the 358th save of his career in Monday’s 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, moving into a tie with Troy Percival for 10th place on the all-time saves list, per Kyle Brostowitz of the Nationals’ communications department.

Working almost strictly as a closer since his 2005 rookie season, the 35-year-old righty has converted save opportunities at an 88.4 percent clip, blowing just 47 chances in his 12 MLB seasons.

He also owns a 2.35 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, having maintained his effectiveness into the latter stage of his career.

Papelbon has converted nine of his 10 save opportunities this season, allowing three earned runs on 11 hits and a walk over 11.1 innings, giving him a 2.38 ERA and 1.06 WHIP that are close to his career marks.

He could climb as high as No. 7 on the all-time saves list by the end of the year, as Jeff Reardon (367), Joe Nathan (377) and Dennis Eckersley (390) are all within striking distance.

Detroit Tigers reliever Francisco Rodriguez (393) might also be in reach, but he’s serving as his team’s closer and thus figures to pad his own total throughout the year.

With the Nationals off to an 18-7 start while carrying a plus-40 run differential, Papelbon shouldn’t be lacking save opportunities as long as he stays healthy.

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