Field Level Media
Aug 11, 2021
Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes tied a major-league record by recording 10 straight strikeouts Wednesday night and blanked the Chicago Cubs on four hits over eight innings of a 10-0 win in Chicago.
Burnes walked none and finished with a career-high 15 punchouts, fanning pinch-hitter Sergio Alcantara with his 99th and final pitch to end the eighth. Hoby Milner wrapped up the ninth as Milwaukee upped its National League Central lead on Cincinnati to eight games. The Reds lost in extra innings at Atlanta, 8-6.
After throwing only four pitches in a first inning that ended with a double-play grounder off Ian Happ's bat, Burnes took his stab at history. No one put a ball in play off him until Matt Duffy spoiled his bid for the all-time record with a one-out single in the fifth.
Burnes (7-4) became the third pitcher in MLB annals to record 10 straight whiffs, joining the New York Mets' Tom Seaver in 1970 and Aaron Nola, who accomplished the feat in June for the Philadelphia Phillies. Burnes also won for the first time since July 24.
Burnes has gone 12 straight starts without a loss, going 5-0 with seven no-decisions in that span.
The game was never in doubt after Milwaukee pounded Jake Arrieta (5-11) for eight hits and seven runs in the top of the first inning. Kolten Wong started the outburst with a double that Christian Yelich cashed in with a single, then capped the inning with another double that scored Lorenzo Cain.
Omar Narvaez and Tyrone Taylor added RBI singles in the inning, while Cain bagged a two-run double to left. The Cubs chipped in an error to give the Brewers a run that they didn't need.
Narvaez added a sacrifice fly in the fourth. That was also off Arrieta, who was tagged for 11 hits and eight runs over four innings with two walks and three strikeouts. Arrieta's ERA soared to 6.88.
In the ninth, Narvaez polished off a 3-for-3, four-RBI performance by crashing his 11th homer, a two-run blast to right. Five other Milwaukee batters each collected two hits in a 16-hit onslaught against four pitchers.
--Field Level Media