On Sept. 28, 1988, famed Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser made history by extending a remarkable stretch to 59 consecutive scoreless innings. He did so by throwing 10 innings against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers failed to provide him with any run support and then went on to suffer a 2-1 loss in 16 innings. Hershiser’s streak broke the MLB record that was previously held by another legendary Dodgers right-hander: Don Drysdale, set in 1968.
Hershiser broke the record at the urging of then-manager Tommy Lasorda. He implored his starter to take the mound in the 10th inning of the scoreless game, which was against Hershiser’s wishes as he preferred to simply tie Drysdale’s mark.
A strikeout-wild pitch allowed the leadoff man to reach in the bottom of the 10th, and he was then sacrificed into scoring position. Hershiser eventually faced runners at the corners with two outs, when he induced a fly out to end the inning.
Hershiser’s scoreless streak began Aug. 30, 1988, in his 29th start of the season. His outing against the Padres was the last of the regular season and came after the Dodgers had already clinched the division.
He finished the year, an All-Star campaign, 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA en route to winning a Cy Young Award. Of course, Hershiser then went on to have one of the more remarkable performances in postseason history, ultimately helping the Dodgers defeat the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.
Hershiser was named MVP of both the National League Championship Series and World Series.
Hershiser post career
Retirement has seen the Hall of Famer make his way back to the Dodgers organization as an analyst for SportsNet LA. Hershiser additionally provides coaching advice to pitchers during Spring Training in an unofficial capacity.
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