Through last Thursday's action, pitchers were striking out batters at a rate of 7.58 per nine innings, which would set a Major League record.
In 2012, a record was set when there were 7.56 strikeouts per nine innings.
Through 974 games in 2013, there were 14,720 strikeouts. That's a pace of 36,724, which would also rank as the most in Major League history.