Archer Ties Rays Record with 15 Strikeouts in 1 Game

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer tied James Shields' single-game franchise record of 15 strikeouts in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Arguably the most improved pitcher in MLB this season, the 26-year-old Archer allowed just one run on six hits over eight innings, with the damage coming courtesy of a solo home run from Angels first baseman Albert Pujols.

While the homer moved Pujols into a tie for 17th place on MLB's all-time home run list, Archer still stole the night from a statistical perspective, joining Felix Hernandez (June 8, 2014) as the only pitchers in the last decade to strike out 15 or more batters while throwing 105 or fewer pitchers, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

Archer threw exactly 105 pitches in Tuesday's game, and he didn't allow any walks or hit any batters.

Having struck out 12 batters without any walks in his previous outing last Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, Archer joins Dwight Gooden (1984) as the only pitchers in the modern era (since 1900) to post consecutive outings with 12 or more strikeouts and no walks, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

Archer now has an MLB-leading 97 strikeouts this season, although he's already made 12 starts, while Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber—the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner—has 96 strikeouts through 11 outings.

It's still impossible to discount what Archer has done, with his 97 strikeouts joined by a 6-4 record, 2.01 ERA, and 0.96 WHIP.

While Kluber and Hernandez figure to be right in the mix, Archer looks like the early favorite for AL Cy Young honors.