Clayton Kershaw began last Friday at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park riding a scoreless inning streak that had stretched to 37 innings. Any thoughts of increasing it quickly came to an abrupt and unceremonious end when Pirates lead-off hitter Gregory Polanco took Kershaw’s initial offering over the right-center field fence for a home run.
For most franchises, that shutout string would be unmatched. But it wasn’t even close to the most impressive scoreless stretch in LA Dodgers pitching history – or even this year – for that matter.
That latter distinction belongs to Zack Greinke, who recently provided an exclamation point to his career-best season. The right-hander tossed 45.2 consecutive scoreless frames, a streak that concluded on July 26. But while Greinke reached unchartered waters in his solid career, Kershaw has had this brush with history before.
Kershaw is the only pitcher with multiple single-season scoreless streaks of at least 37 innings since Luis Tiant accomplished such a feat in 1968 and 1972. In 2013, the three-time Cy Young Award winner ran his streak up to 41 in a row before Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres took him deep at Dodger Stadium on July 11.
As impressive as Los Angeles’ two premiere starting pitchers have been, they pale in comparison to a pair of Dodger arms from yesteryear, both of whom made their mark twenty years apart.
Orel Hershiser set the standard for creating a string of unblemished excellence on the mound. In the midst of a pennant race, Orel got hot at just the right time. Beginning at the end of August and lasting all the way to the conclusion of the 1988 regular season, Hershiser went untouched for seven starts in a row.
Hershiser officially put his name in the record books on September 28 with 59 after going 10 innings in San Diego without allowing a Padre to touch home plate. Greeting him after the record-breaking inning was Don Drysdale, the man who previously topped this department.
Drysdale’s 58.2 began in early May of ’68 and lasted until June 8 – highlighted by a sequence of six straight shutouts. So, whose scoreless string is peerless? That’s an extremely tough call considering they occurred in various eras with a varying degree of advantages – or lack thereof – on the side of the pitchers.
Drysdale made a living of pitching inside and intimidating opposing batters. That kind of attitude wouldn’t fly in today’s uber-sensitive mode of play. It also should be noted that his dominance came in a season that became known as “The Year of the Pitcher.” Mounds were higher, strike zones were wider and taller, and hitters were at a marked disadvantage.
Nonetheless, anyone who wants to discount what “The Winder” did would be sorely mistaken.
In the past few seasons, the amount of offense on average has dipped significantly – a tremendous disparity from where we were a decade ago.
But it’s the staggering statistics of the pitchers themselves that stand out. Take Greinke, for instance. Over his streak, he limited opposing batters to a .133 batting average (compared to Hershiser’s .155), and allowed just four walks and struck out 43. He was rarely in danger, yielding just two runners to reach third base.
Now, take a glance at the superlatives from Kershaw’s newly-minted run – as he adds to his already-legendary status. No pitcher in the modern era has achieved 45 strikeouts over four starts except him. And in three consecutive starts, he fanned at least 10 and didn’t allow a walk.
All told, the nod probably still goes to the one at the top of the mountain: Hershiser. His batting average against may be a touch higher, he may have walked more, and he may have struck out less, but something should be said for endurance.
Back in ’88, pitch counts weren’t as strict, meaning a fatigued arm was still asked to get the job done in the late innings. It was also the start of the power-friendly era, with more runs scored and more players capable of knocking one out with a single swing of the bat.
And, as was mentioned earlier, it came when the Dodgers were trying to hold off all challengers in the NL West. As it turned out, the momentum generated by this record-breaking streak led to Hershiser’s dominance of the postseason, earning him both the League Championship and World Series MVP.
While it may be quite difficult to determine which streak is more dominant, one thing can’t be debated. The quartet of Kershaw, Greinke, Drysdale and Hershiser makes up a major part of the amazing and long-lasting pitching excellence in Dodger history.
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