on may 20, 2012, scherzer struck out 15 pittsburgh pirates in seven innings, falling one strikeout short of tying lolich's franchise record. scherzer surpassed the 200-strikeout mark for the first time, totaling 231 during the regular season to place second in the league to teammate verlander with 239. scherzer's strikeout rate per nine innings (11.1) both surged into the double-digit range and led the al for the first time. he finished the regular season with other then-personal bests in wins and winning percentage (16–7, ). in four seasons spanning 2009−12, scherzer went 52−38, 3.94 era, 1.302 whip, averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 191 strikeouts per season.