Why he matters right now
Dylan Cease is 24 from 100 career wins
He sits at 76 — one of the counting milestones the sport stops for.
This has been his headline for 45 straight days.
The case in 30 seconds
- 76 career wins, 24 from 100 career_watch ledger (live-verified before publication)
- 239 3rd in strikeouts at 239, 4th in ERA at 2.40, 5th in strikeout-minus-walk rate at 23.5% on MLB's season leaderboards MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- ERA 2.40 — 4th of 20 qualified pitchers on this site's tracked board snapshot pitching board — the union of MLB's top-10 pitching boards, then MLB's 1.0 IP per team game rule applied; not the league's full qualified pool
- 239 239 strikeouts, past his previous best of 227 in 2022 year-by-year record, 5 prior seasons since 2021 (MLB Stats API, cached)
The honest caveat
A milestone is arithmetic on a career, not a statement about this season. Reaching it depends on playing time between now and then, which nothing here predicts.
Every claim above, with its source (4)
- 76 career wins, 24 from 100 career_watch ledger (live-verified before publication)
- 3rd in strikeouts at 239, 4th in ERA at 2.40, 5th in strikeout-minus-walk rate at 23.5% on MLB's season leaderboards MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- ERA 2.40 — 4th of 20 qualified pitchers on this site's tracked board snapshot pitching board — the union of MLB's top-10 pitching boards, then MLB's 1.0 IP per team game rule applied; not the league's full qualified pool
- 239 strikeouts, past his previous best of 227 in 2022 year-by-year record, 5 prior seasons since 2021 (MLB Stats API, cached)
Other cases this page considered and did not lead with: Dylan Cease is top-10 in the majors in strikeouts, ERA and strikeout-minus-walk rate; Dylan Cease sits 4th in ERA among 20 qualified pitchers on this site's tracked board; Dylan Cease has already passed his career best in strikeouts.
The evidence
Tracked on Live Chases
- 57 Strikeouts Notable · WATCH No. 3 of 3strikeouts chases 239 record 383 — Nolan Ryan, 1973 239projected, against 300
The score is an editorial score, not a measurement on a common scale. The rank above is this player's position on his own category's board — the ordering the site stands behind. See all tracked chases →
Situational splits
| Split | IP | ERA | SO | WHIP | AVG against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHP | 69.2 | — | 95 | 1.18 | .198 |
| vs LHP | 99.1 | — | 144 | 1.05 | .167 |
| Home | 85.1 | 2.85 | 129 | 1.18 | .198 |
| Away | 83.2 | 1.94 | 110 | 1.02 | .162 |
| Day | 73.0 | 2.10 | 111 | 1.03 | .153 |
| Night | 96.0 | 2.63 | 128 | 1.16 | .201 |
2026 season, MLB Stats API. A split with no plate appearances is omitted rather than shown as zeroes.
Strikeout chase
| Chase | Current | Pace | Needed from here | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 K | 239 | 239 | done | ACHIEVED |
| 250 K | 239 | 239 | 11 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 300 K | 239 | 239 | 61 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 350 K | 239 | 239 | 111 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 383 K | 239 | 239 | 144 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
ERA & WHIP finish lines
| Finish | Current | Required rest-of-season | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-2.00 ERA | 2.40 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.75 ERA | 2.40 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.50 ERA | 2.40 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.00 WHIP | 1.10 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-0.90 WHIP | 1.10 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
Recent game log
Derived nightly from the snapshot ledger — each row is the difference between consecutive days; multi-day rows are labeled.
| Date | Opp | Result | IP | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-18 | Texas Rangers | L 1-7 | 2.2 | 3 |
| 2026-09-13 | Baltimore Orioles | W 8-1 | 5.0 | 9 |
| 2026-09-07 | Athletics | L 5-6 | 5.0 | 6 |
| 2026-09-01 | Cleveland Guardians | L 1-6 | 6.0 | 4 |
| 2026-08-22 | New York Yankees | W 4-3 | 6.2 | 8 |
| 2026-08-16 | New York Yankees | L 3-4 | 6.1 | 10 |
| 2026-08-11 | Boston Red Sox | W 5-3 | 5.0 | 7 |
| 2026-08-06 | Chicago Cubs | L 2-3 | 7.0 | 10 |
| 2026-07-31 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 3-1 | 6.0 | 7 |
| 2026-07-25 | Boston Red Sox | W 6-0 | 9.0 | 12 |
Recent highlights
Chase history
Stuff watch
Four-seamer velocity, start by start
Every start's average against his own trailing baseline of 97.1 ± 0.89 mph. Ringed dots sit more than one standard deviation under the baseline; last start 93.64 mph (2026-09-18).
- velocity · SL: 85.88 vs 88.94 ± 0.59 (z -5.18, 3 straight)
- velocity · FF: 93.64 vs 97.13 ± 0.89 (z -3.92, 3 straight)
- velocity · KC: 80.68 vs 82.71 ± 0.64 (z -3.17, 3 straight)