Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander made postseason history Wednesday night. Verlander, starting Game 2 of the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals, became the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts during the second inning, surpassing former Atlanta Braves right-hander (and current FOX announcer) John Smoltz.

Verlander tied the record by fanning Ryan Zimmerman, then broke the record when he punched out Victor Robles for his 200th career strikeout in the playoffs.

Verlander entered the game with 196 strikeouts in postseason play. Smoltz, at 199, had held the record since retiring after the 2009 season. The rest of the top five includes Andy Pettitte (183), Roger Clements (173), and Clayton Kershaw (169). According to the Baseball Gauge, the only other active pitchers with more than 100 punchouts are Max Scherzer (134), Jon Lester (133), and Adam Wainwright (115). In other words, Verlander is unlikely to face any immediate competition for the record.

Of note is that Smoltz got his 199 strikeouts in 209 innings, while Verlander needed just 176 2/3 postseason innings to break the record.

Verlander, 36, has two seasons remaining on his contract. Barring an injury or a team-level collapse on the Astros' part, it's likely that he'll get at least another postseason to pad his numbers.

Verlander, who hit the 3,000-strikeout mark at the end of the 2019 regular season, for his regular-season career has amassed 2,982 innings and a 3.41 ERA (129 ERA+) and 3.54 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His 70.9 career Wins Above Replacement put him in about in line with the average Hall of Fame pitcher. Factor in the respective difference in eras, and Verlander is almost certain to end up in Cooperstown someday down the road. In meantime, he'll likely be content with winning his second Cy Young award and/or another World Series ring. We don't yet know the results of the balloting, but Verlander is the solid favorite in the AL.