MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Brewers ace Ben Sheets set a franchise record for strikeouts in the first inning of today's game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

The longest-tenured member of the 2008 Brewers fanned Albert Pujols on an 0-2 breaking ball to reach 1,082 career strikeouts and surpass Teddy Higuera, who pitched for Milwaukee from 1985 to 1991 and in 1993 and 1994.

In the final season of a four-year contract, Sheets opened the inning with a groundout before striking out Aaron Miles on a big curveball in the dirt. The right-hander fooled Pujols with the same pitch after the Cardinals' slugger couldn't stop his swing.

Sheets has had 14 games of 10 strikeouts or more. He set the franchise mark in 110 fewer innings than Higuera needed.

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