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Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings streak
 

Hershiser pitching for the Dodgers in 1993

During the 1988 Major League Baseball season, pitcher Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Dodgers set the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Over 59 consecutive innings, opposing hitters did not score a run against Hershiser. During the streak, he averted numerous high-risk scoring situations. The streak spanned from the sixth inning of an August 30 game against the Montreal Expos to the 10th inning of a September 28 game against the San Diego Padres. The previous record of 58+2⁄3 innings was set by former Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale in 1968; as the team's radio announcer, Drysdale called Hershiser's streak as he pursued the new record. Pundits have described the streak as among the greatest records in baseball history, with one pundit ranking it among the greatest individual feats in American sports.

During the streak, the Elias Sports Bureau changed its criteria for the official consecutive scoreless innings record for starting pitchers from including fractional innings in which one or two outs had been recorded to counting only complete scoreless innings. Since the streak was active at the end of the 1988 season, it could have spanned two separate seasons. However, Hershiser yielded a run in his first inning of work in the 1989 season against the Cincinnati Reds, thus ending the streak at 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. The streak includes only innings pitched in the regular season, excluding eight scoreless innings Hershiser pitched to start Game 1 of the 1988 National League Championship Series on October 4 (unofficially extending his streak to 67 combined innings). Although he completed the ninth inning in each start, the streak's final game lasted 16 innings, of which he pitched only the first 10. Thus, Hershiser did not match Drysdale's record of six consecutive complete game shutouts. Like Drysdale's streak, the penultimate game of Hershiser's streak was a Dodgers–Giants game that featured a controversial umpire's ruling that saved the streak.

The streak was initially overshadowed by Hershiser achieving 20 wins and the race for the NL Cy Young Award between Hershiser and Danny Jackson until Hershiser reached 40 consecutive innings. Another distraction during the streak was his wife's pregnancy and his son's childbirth complications. The record-setting game was overshadowed by the 1988 Summer Olympics, football, and baseball pennant races; it was not broadcast on local television in Los Angeles. Following the regular season, Hershiser was awarded the NL Cy Young Award. In the playoffs, he earned both the NL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award and the World Series MVP Award. He also secured Sportsman of the Year and Associated Press Athlete of the Year honors. Hershiser appeared in the 1989 MLB All-Star Game and continued to be an effective pitcher for many seasons, including two additional appearances in the World Series, one of which was preceded by his winning the 1995 AL Championship Series MVP Award.

Background

Hershiser was selected by Dodgers in the 17th round of the 1979 MLB draft with the 440th overall selection.[1] He made his professional debut with the Class A Dodger farm team in the Midwest League, the Clinton Dodgers in 1979.[2] He made his major league debut for the Dodgers on September 1, 1983, against the Montreal Expos.[3] Hershisher made his first start on May 26, 1984, against the New York Mets[4] and became a full-time starter in the Dodgers' rotation on July 14.[4][5][6]

Hershiser had pitched a 33+2⁄3-inning scoreless streak in 1984, eventually joining Gaylord Perry and Luis Tiant as the only pitchers between 1963 and 2014 with at least two streaks of this length. Hershiser's 1984 streak, which was the longest scoreless inning streak of the year, was broken up on July 24 by a home run by two-time NL Most Valuable Player Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves.[7] His streak included a blown save on July 8 against the St. Louis Cardinals and a nine-inning shutout against the Cardinals on July 19.[6]

Despite an emergency appendectomy that delayed his spring training and shortened his time to get in shape for the season,[8] Hershiser had been named NL Baseball Pitcher of the Month in April and a participant in the 1988 All-Star Game, getting outs against all three batters.[9][10] In the eight games he started between July 10 and August 14, Hershiser had a 3–4 win–loss record with a 4.76 earned run average (ERA),[11] raising his season ERA from 2.46 to 3.06.[12] Following his August 14 start in which he left the game after two innings (his shortest appearance since 1985) with the Dodgers behind the Giants 8–2,[13] he pitched complete games on August 19 (a shutout) and August 24.[12] Prior to the game, Hershiser trailed teammate Tim Leary in shutouts, six to three, and Leary also combined with other pitchers to record a shutout that was not counted in his individual total.[14]

Previously, Walter Johnson of the 1913 Washington Senators had held the consecutive scoreless innings record, at 55+2⁄3,[7] with two relief appearances,[15] which gave him a fractional total. In 1968, Drysdale, also of the Dodgers, surpassed Johnson by pitching 58+2⁄3 innings in six consecutive nine-inning shutouts between May 14 and June 4, 1968. Drysdale's streak ended with four scoreless innings in a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on June 8.[16]

The streak

The streak spanned Hershiser's 29th through 35th (and final) starts of the 1988 season for the Dodgers, which were the 190th through 196th games of his career.[12] It began on August 30 against the Expos, after seven-time All-Star Tim Raines scored with two outs in the fifth inning.[17] The streak ended on April 5, 1989, against Cincinnati, when Barry Larkin scored with two outs in the first inning.[18] During the streak, although 41 of the 59 scoreless innings came on the road away from traditionally pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium,[19] Hershiser lowered his ERA from 2.90 to 2.26.[20] The Dodgers scored only 13 runs in support of Hershiser's 59 innings.[21] Overall, opposing hitters batted 0-for-9 with runners on third and 0-for-31 with runners in scoring position.[7] During the streak, according to the Chicago Tribune, Hershiser caused opposing teams to leave 30 runners on base; Drysdale, in his streak, left 35.[22] However, USA Today reported that Hershiser left 36 runners on base.[23] At that point in his career, Hershiser was regarded as a "right-handed sinkerball artist" although he did not throw a sinker. He relied on a fastball, slider, curveball, and split-finger fastball, the latter of which he used as a sinker.[24]

Once Hershiser achieved his second consecutive complete-game shutout to reach 22 consecutive scoreless innings, he was lauded for his 20th win in the national press[25][26] while the local press praised his serious contention for the Cy Young Award, given to the league's best pitcher.[27] The 20th win had been his preseason goal.[28] His third consecutive complete-game shutout, which brought him to 31 consecutive innings, was said in local newspapers to have strengthened his Cy Young Award chances[28][29] and in national newspapers to have helped his team in the pennant race.[30][31] There was little emphasis on the historical context of his streak at this point,[30][31] even among newspapers that headlined the streak.[32] Upon reaching 40 consecutive innings, most of the national media began to mention that the record was 58 (in some cases 58+2⁄3).[33][34][35][36][37] In some papers, Hershiser's approach to the record was being described as a chase.[38][39] Hershiser, however, said that he was primarily focused on his hospitalized newborn son.[28]

After Hershiser reached 49 consecutive innings because of what some sources describe as an umpire's favorable interference ruling on a double play, the sports media compared him to Drysdale, who had a similar incident occur during his streak.[40] The Houston Chronicle noted that both beneficial calls were in Dodgers–Giants games.[41] However, the press also noted that Hershiser needed another complete game shutout to tie Drysdale and pass Johnson on the all-time consecutive scoreless innings list.[41] In addition to covering the record pursuit, some sportswriters perceived that Hershiser had taken a commanding lead in the Cy Young Award race.[42] Despite the official ruling by MLB statistician Seymour Siwoff that only full innings of starting pitchers count toward the record, some sportswriters continued to refer to the record as 58+2⁄3 innings.[43] The pennant race also continued to draw attention as the Dodgers closed in on the NL West division title.[43] An Associated Press article noted that it was Hershiser's eighth consecutive complete game and 15th of the season and Hershiser's fifth consecutive complete game shutout. As Hershiser's last remaining start approached,[44][45] the media mentioned that he needed one more complete game shutout to tie the all-time record.[46][47][48] When the total reached 49, Hershiser first began to believe that the record was within reach.[28] Not only were his teammates too superstitious to talk to him about the streak, but Dodgers announcer Drysdale also avoided the subject when talking to Hershiser for fear of jinxing him.[49] Hershiser was not superstitious about the record, saying, "I'm pretty loosey-goosey about it.... I talk about it all the time. I'm not superstitious."[49]

Date Opponent Stadium Decision
(Win–loss
record) 		Innings
pitched 		Hits Runs Earned
runs 		Bases on
balls 		Strikeouts Home runs
allowed 		Season
earned run
average 		Batters
faced 		Pitch
count 		Strikes
thrown
August 30, 1988[17] Montreal Expos Olympic Stadium W (18–8) 9 6 2 2 2 9 0 2.84 36 118 79
September 5, 1988[50] Atlanta Braves Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium W (19–8) 9 4 0 0 1 8 0 2.73 31 109 69
September 10, 1988[51] Cincinnati Reds Dodger Stadium W (20–8) 9 7 0 0 3 8 0 2.62 35 109 67
September 14, 1988[52] Atlanta Braves Dodger Stadium W (21–8) 9 6 0 0 2 8 0 2.52 35 103 70
September 19, 1988[53] Houston Astros Astrodome W (22–8) 9 4 0 0 0 5 0 2.43 32 96 67
September 23, 1988[54] San Francisco Giants Candlestick Park W (23–8) 9 5 0 0 2 2 0 2.35 32 112 73
September 28, 1988[55] San Diego Padres Jack Murphy Stadium 10 4 0 0 1 3 0 2.26 36 116 77
April 5, 1989[18] Cincinnati Reds Riverfront Stadium L (0–1) 7 7 4 2 1 6 0 2.57 31 101 64
Postseason performance not part of official record
October 4, 1988*[56] New York Mets Dodger Stadium 8.1 7 2 2 1 6 0 2.16 31 100 67

August 30, 1988

August 30, 1988 7:35 at Stade Olympique, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Los Angeles 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 5 3
Montreal 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 6 1
WP: Orel Hershiser (18–8)   LP: Brian Holman (2–6)
Attendance: 21,454 (Time: 2:23)

The Dodgers entered the game with a 76–54 record and a 6.5-game lead in the NL West over the Houston Astros, while the Montreal Expos were 11 games back in third place in the NL East with a 66–64 record entering the game.[57] With the August 30 win, the Dodgers retained their 6.5-game lead.[58] The win marked the Dodgers' fifth consecutive win and 12th out of 15. Hershiser contributed a two-run double in the second inning to help the Dodgers build a 3–0 lead. After Hershiser gave up two runs in the fifth, no baserunners reached second base against him in the final four innings, thus marking the first four scoreless innings of his streak. The game marked Hershiser's third consecutive and 10th complete game of the season.[59] Following the game, his 2.84 ERA ranked third on the team behind Tim Leary (2.44) and John Tudor (2.37).[59]

September 5, 1988

September 5, 1988 7:40 at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Los Angeles 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 1
Atlanta 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
WP: Orel Hershiser (19–8)   LP: Rick Mahler (9–13)
Attendance: 10,768 (Time: 2:24)

Hershiser had been scheduled to pitch against the NL-leading New York Mets (80–54) on Sunday, September 4, but a rainout delayed his performance.[60] The Dodgers entered the game with a 77–57 record and a five-game lead in the NL West over the Astros, while the Atlanta Braves were 31 games back in sixth place in the division with a 46–88 record entering the game.[61] With the September 5 win, the Dodgers retained their 5-game lead.[62] Hershiser struck out Dale Murphy four times, once resorting to a rare sidearm curveball to do so, to the dismay of pitching coach Ron Perranoski, who worried about injuries caused by sidearm pitching.[11] According to ESPN's Mark Simon, this was the only game of Murphy's 2,180-game career in which a single pitcher struck him out four times.[7] After a two-out walk to Dion James in the third inning, Hershiser allowed no baserunners until the ninth inning.[11] With his fourth straight complete game, Hershiser raised his record to 19–8, making him 3–1 with a 1.00 ERA in those games.[11]

September 10, 1988

September 10, 1988 7:05 at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 2
Los Angeles 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 x 5 6 0
WP: Orel Hershiser (20–8)   LP: Norm Charlton (1–4)
Home runs:
CIN: None
LAD: Rick Dempsey (7, off Rob Murphy; 8th inn, 1 on, 2 outs to LF)
Attendance: 42,393 (Time: 2:31)

The Dodgers entered the game with a 79–60 record and a four-game lead in the NL West over the Houston Astros, while the Cincinnati Reds were 5.5 games back in third place in the division with a 74–66 record entering the game.[63] With the September 10 win, the Dodgers held a five-game lead.[64] Although left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela had won 20 games in 1986,[65] Hershiser became the first Dodger righthander to win 20 games since Don Sutton in 1976.[25] Hershiser said, about reaching this accomplishment, "It's a goal that the world sets as a standard, and when you reach it, it's a great feeling."[65] In the Cy Young Award race, Danny Jackson of the Reds had beaten the Dodgers the night before to move to 21-6 with a 2.43 ERA (against Hershiser's 20-8 with a 2.62 ERA).[27] In the third inning, Hershiser struck out Eric Davis with the bases loaded and two outs and later got Davis to hit into two double plays.[25] In the seventh inning, Ken Griffey, Sr. and Larkin were retired after the Reds put runners on first and third base with one out.[27] The game marked Hershiser's fifth consecutive complete game (and 12th of the season).[26]