PHOENIX — Pitcher Zac Gallen etched his name into the history books as he made history with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, setting a record for consecutive scoreless innings.
"If you think about what he's doing against major league hitters every single night for however many nights, is almost unbelievable," D-backs Manager Torey Lovullo said. "These are the best players in the world and he rose to another level for 40 plus innings."
44 1/3 innings to be exact. The former Tar Heel pitched 44.1 innings without allowing a single run, breaking former D-back Brandon Webb's record set back in 2007.
"It's not a goal you set out to achieve when the season starts," Gallen said. "But it's one of those, as it's going on, you're getting closer and closer like ok, let's see if we can try and make something of this."
And he did exactly that as the New Jersey native hadn't given up a run since Aug. 8, just days after his 27th birthday.
"Yeah, 27 started off on a good foot," Gallen added. "From there on, I didn't give up a run since then. It was kind of in the back of my mind the longer and longer the streak went on."
Despite knowing the circumstances, Gallen didn't flinch under pressure and realized how well he can perform under high pressure and expectations.
"I think a lot of it was just resilience," Gallen said. "It's hard to throw up a lot of zeros. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting in a zone, having a little bit of luck and having a great defense behind you."
Gallen retired the first nine batters he faced to extend his scoreless innings streak on Sunday, but it was later broken against the Colorado Rockies. Although the team did still win 12-6 in the process.
Joining the record books is a special moment Gallen will remember for the rest of his career, yet it was the unwavering support he received that meant the most to him.
"I still have a bunch of text messages I still have to respond to," Gallen said. "I let it chill for a day and I'll sit down and reply to the messages, but a lot of people were reaching and that's the most important thing about the streak."
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