Career
Strickland was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round, 564th overall pick, of the 2007 MLB Draft. On July 22, 2009, he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates along with Argenis Díaz in a trade with the Red Sox in exchange for Adam LaRoche. In November 2012, the Pirates added Strickland to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
On March 27, 2013, Strickland was designated for assignment by the Pirates, and on April 2, the San Francisco Giants claimed Strickland off waivers.
He was added to the Giants" 40-man roster on November 20, 2013. 2014
Strickland was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2014.
He pitched one scoreless inning of relief against the Colorado Rockies later that day. In the 2014 regular season, Strickland appeared in 9 games, allowing 5 hits and no runs in 7.0 innings pitched.
In Game 1 of the 2014 National League Division Series versus the Washington Nationals, Strickland entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning and struck out Ian Desmond to preserve the Giants" lead.
In Game 2, Strickland recorded the save in the longest (by time, tied for longest in innings) playoff game in Major League history, as the Giants defeated the Nationals 2–1 in 18 innings. However, Strickland set a postseason record by allowing six home runs, even though the Giants went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 World Series. 2015
Strickland started the 2015 season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, posting a 1.66 European Research Area in 21.2 innings, before being called up on May 24, 2015.
Strickland did not yield a home run until August 3, a string of 188 batters between Triple-A and the majors.
In 2015, Strickland appeared in 55 games, recording a 2.45 European Research Area with 50 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched. Strickland"s 0.857 WHIP was the third-lowest among relievers with at least 50 innings pitched.