Reds' Cueto Tops 1,000 Career Strikeouts on Opening Day

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts when he fanned Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco in the third inning of Monday's 5-2 Opening Day victory, per Reds Media Relations.

Cueto sent 10 Pirates back to the dugout via strikeout on the day, yet he still ended up with a no-decision after Kevin Gregg blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning. The Reds retook the lead by tacking on three runs in the bottom of the eighth, making Jumbo Diaz the winning pitcher.

With the 10 punchouts Monday, Cueto now has 1,005 for his career after piling up a career-high 242 over 243.2 innings in 2014. He finished the campaign with a 20-9 record in 34 starts while posting a 2.25 ERA. The campaign also resulted in an All-Star appearance and a second-place finish to Clayton Kershaw in National League Cy Young Award voting.

The 29-year-old Cueto is still on the right side of 30 to keep compiling strikeouts, and he has a good chance to reach more milestones in the category.

The latest to join the 1000-K club, Cueto added himself to a list of just 165 other pitchers since 1901 to reach the milestone by the age of 30, and he became one of 152 to reach the mark through eight or fewer major league seasons.

Cueto's next scheduled start comes Saturday against a division foe in the St. Louis Cardinals, and it currently looks as though Michael Wacha will oppose him. If the Reds want to remain competitive in 2015, they'll likely need another healthy and productive season from their unquestioned ace.

If that occurs, it's possible there will still be meaningful baseball in Cincinnati when the calendar turns to September.