Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes continues to make MLB history.
Burnes resumed his extraordinary start to the season Tuesday night, registering 10 strikeouts in six scoreless innings during Milwaukee’s 6-0 win over the Padres. Burnes has 40 strikeouts and zero walks in 24 1/3 innings across four starts, an unprecedented stretch in modern baseball history (since 1893.) He was previously the first pitcher in the modern era with at least 30 strikeouts and no walks in his first three appearances.
Burnes currently leads league starters with a staggering 0.37 ERA and his 40 strikeouts leads the National League. The 26-year-old right-hander broke Adam Wainwright’s previous MLB record of 35 strikeouts by a starter without a walk, which was set in 2013, according to the Elias Sports Bureau; Kenley Jansen has the record for relievers with 51 strikeouts before his first walk in 2017.
“You know, I’ve heard it from everyone in the clubhouse, so it’s kind of hard to escape it right now: ‘Hey, you set a record tonight,’” Burnes told reporters, though he said he’d prefer to move on from the hoopla.
Not only did Burnes keep his historic streak on the mound alive, but he reached on an error in the top of the third during the Brewers’ five-run rally.
“I think it’s rubbing off on everybody — all the way to the bullpen,” said Brewers right-hander Adrian Houser. “I think we’re all getting into that mentality of just going out and competing our butts off the whole time. Just leave it all out there and lay it all on the line for the guys. They’re going to be out there backing us up and doing what they can. I think it’s going well, and everybody’s feeding off of that.”
Burnes has seemingly reached the pinnacle of his four-year MLB career. After a disappointing 2019 season, in which he finished with an NL-high 8.82 ERA and was demoted to the minors, Burnes wanted to remake himself.
In 2020, after undergoing Lasik eye surgery, Burnes posted a 2.11 ERA and finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting.
“When you’re going through some drastic changes, whatever they may be,” Burnes said. “The most important thing is to stick to the process of going through it and knowing that eventually it will come out better on the other side.
“It’s tough when you’re going through things to try to keep results out of mind. But it’s definitely good when you get to the point where you get good feedback.”