The Kansas City Royals dropped the second game of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, falling 6-5. Kansas City right-hander Seth Lugo got the start for the Royals in Chicago.<\/p>\n
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While the right-hander struggled on the mound, allowing five earned runs on eight hits across five innings with two walks and four strikeouts, there was still a positive takeaway from his outing.<\/p>\n
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With those four strikeouts, Lugo reached a major career milestone.<\/p>\n
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Seth Lugo\u00a0has reached 1,000 career strikeouts<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday, White Sox outfielder\u00a0Tristan Peters\u00a0stepped to the plate. On a 1-2 count, Lugo painted a four-seam fastball<\/a> on the outside corner to strike out Peters looking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That was Lugo\u2019s fourth strikeout of the game, but more importantly, the 1,000th strikeout of his career. He became the 46th active pitcher to reach the milestone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lugo is still fairly new to being a full-time starter. He transitioned into a full-time starting role in 2023 after signing with the\u00a0San Diego Padres. Before that, he made just 38 starts across his first seven MLB seasons with the\u00a0New York Mets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Lugo was a highly effective reliever, he has been just as effective in the rotation. His first season in Kansas City is where he truly established himself as an elite starter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2024, he made 33 starts while posting a 3.00 ERA and a career-high 181 strikeouts. That performance led to a second-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Of Lugo\u2019s 1,000 career strikeouts, 352 have come while wearing a\u00a0Kansas City uniform. He recorded 181 strikeouts in 2024, 125 in 2025 and has added 46 so far this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although Lugo did not have his best outing Wednesday, he has still found success this season and is off to a solid start on the mound.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Through nine starts this season, five have been quality starts. Lugo currently owns a 3.76 ERA across 52.2 innings pitched, paired with the 46 strikeouts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His strong start to the season has his name being mentioned as a potential top pitching trade candidate<\/a> ahead of the MLB trade deadline.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 1,000-strikeout milestone is a major accomplishment for the 36-year-old as he looks to build on his strong 2026 season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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