Move over, Kenley Jansen. We’ve got a new strikeout record-holder in the books.
Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes recorded his 52nd strikeout of the season Thursday against the Cardinals. He did that without having recorded a single walk, which surpassed Jansen’s mark of 51 straight strikeouts without a walk to begin a season.
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Burnes’ mark didn’t end at 52, either. He eventually extended the streak to 58, which set another MLB record.
Prior to Thursday, the record for consecutive strikeouts without a walk at any time was 56 by Curt Schilling and Gerrit Cole. Cole’s record is still active, so he’ll have chance to surpass Burnes.
Burnes’ streak ended when he walked Tommy Edman in the fifth inning. He wasn’t beating himself up for that after the game.
“It’s a walk. It happens,” Burnes said. “To not walk a guy this far into the season is not something I dreamed of.”
Indeed, not many would. Even after walking Edman, Burnes owns a 58-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which leads MLB by a wide margin. Cole is the next-closest at 26-1.
Burnes drew a hearty ovation from the crowd in Milwaukee after he passed Jansen. He appreciated acknowledgment of his achievement.
“It was pretty cool,” Burnes said, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “Whenever you get them standing behind you like that, cheering you on, it definitely gives you some chills. Was a cool moment to do it at home.”