In a year where we’re seeing milestones achieved and records broken at a record pace (Jeebus we’re clever), with Bonds and ARod and Glavine and everyone else, we’re on the brink of possibly another great achievement. Many watched last night as Bobby Jenks sought to break the 35 year old record of consecutive batters retired. Having bested the last 41 men he faced, Jenks got a 0-2 count on Joey Gathwright before leaving one out over the plate which Gathwright slapped into left field for a single. So, Jenks is left holding a share of the record with Jim Barr of San Francisco Giant fame. However, another pitcher is on a path towards breaking a long-standing record.
Brandon Webb, reigning NL Cy Young award winner and Arizona ace, is staring down the 19 year old consecutive scoreless innings pitched record, currently held by former Dodger and current B-list baseball announcer Orel Hershiser. Sitting just 18 innings away, back-to-back complete game shutouts are all that stand between Webb and history. “Just two more shutouts? Oh, I should have that no problem,” Webb stated confidently in an interview with ESPN. “It’s in the back pocket.” OK, so we changed the ‘he said facetiously’ to ‘he stated confidently’ because it makes Brandon Webb seem like a bigger cocksmith. But, two CGSO in a row for Webb may not be that far fetched- He’s thrown four complete games this year already, three of them shutouts in his last thre outings. Last year, he threw five CGs, keeping the opposing team off the scoreboard in three of them. Though he averages nearly eight K’s per nine, he’s a sinkerballer, which allows him to keep his pitch count down and work later into games. Since he last allowed an ER on July 20th, he’s thrown seven innings in two games and nine in the other three. Hershiser broke the record previously held by Don Drysdale by throwing 10 shutout innings before being relieved only to watch his team lose to the Padres in the 16th. Webb, if he hopes to break the record two games from now, will have to see his D-Backs go to extra innings as well, as 18 innings would only tie Hershiser’s record.
Standing in Webb’s way are the NL Central leading Brewers, led by a great young core of hitters including Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, and who are batting .264 as a team and score an average of 4.77 runs a game. Should he make it past them unscathed, Webb would have the chance to break the record in San Diego, in a pitcher’s park against a team batting closer to .244.
Regardless of whether Webb breaks the record or not, his current streak is already the best of any pitcher since Hershiser. He may not have the ERA of Chris Young, or the strikeout totals of Jake Peavy, but we think he’s in a great position to defend his Cy Young title, making him the first NL repeat winner since Randy Johnson won 4 straight from ‘99-02 with the same Diamondbacks. So as Stamos watches from atop his fantasy baseball division leading Thepiler by three games with 3 to play, he can’t help but wonder what life would have been like had he not dealt Brandon Webb for Miggy Cabrera (to Thepiler) before this season. (Ed. Note: I will let you know next year Stamos.) Either way, they both will be watching and hoping that Webb makes history.
