Greinke becomes 5th pitcher to strike out 1,000 individual batters

Kansas City Royals veteran Zack Greinke added his name to an exclusive list of pitchers Saturday.

With his fifth-inning strikeout of Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Joey Wiemer, Greinke became just the fifth pitcher in MLB history to strike out 1,000 individual hitters during his career.

Three of the other four pitchers who accomplished the feat are in the Hall of Fame.

Greinke's most frequent victim during his 20-year career was former All-Star first baseman Carlos Pena, who struck out 21 times in 45 plate appearances against the right-hander. Other hitters who've had little success against him include B.J. Upton (18), Brandon Belt (17), and DJ LeMahieu (15).

Although he's struck out 1,000 batters, plenty of others have solved him over the years. Retired slugger Carlos Lee owns the most plate appearances against Greinke without a K (22). Among active players, the honor belongs to Anthony Rizzo, who's 7-for-19 lifetime against him.

Greinke struck out five during Saturday's start, upping his career total to 2,909. He currently sits 20th on baseball's all-time list and third among active pitchers. Greinke also owns the most strikeouts among pitchers outside the 3,000-K club.

The 39-year-old won the AL Cy Young Award in 2009 during his first stint with the Royals.