Zac Gallen Breaks 26-Year Old MLB Record

On Friday night, Zac Gallen achieved something no one else in the history of the MLB has accomplished.

On Friday, August 28 (Jackie Robinson Day!), UNC baseball alum Zac Gallen started his 22nd Major League Baseball game. He allowed one earned run over the course of seven innings. In so doing, he achieved something no one in the history of Major League Baseball has ever done: he broke the 26-year old MLB record for the number of starts at the beginning of a career allowing three or fewer earned runs.

In @zacgallen23’s 22 Major League starts, he has allowed:

0 runs – 3 times
1 run – 7 times
2 runs – 8 times
3 runs – 4 times
4+ runs – 0 times

That’s the longest streak allowing 3 or fewer ER in every start to begin a career in @MLB history. pic.twitter.com/HphYJ7P6EH

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 29, 2020

Red Sox pitcher Aaron Sele, who previously held the record, had 21 such starts to begin his career over the course of the 1993 and 1994 seasons before surrendering four earned runs to the Angels on April 24, 1994.

Not only did Gallen set the record on Friday night, but also picked up his first win of the season for the Diamondbacks. In fact, it was his first decision of the season in seven starts, chiefly due to a lack of run support. The Diamondbacks’ record in those seven games is 5-2. Runs were not an issue on Friday night, however, as the Diamondbacks provided Gallen a seven-run cushion.

Gallen’s stat line in the record-breaking game:

7 IP | 5 H | 1 ER | 1 BB | 5 K

"He's good!"

@carskelly talks @zacgallen23 & @Dbacks offense in win over Giants. pic.twitter.com/JgySdjOOgP

— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) August 29, 2020

Gallen was supposed to make his 22 start on Thursday, but the Diamondbacks and Rockies decided to postpone their game, as many teams did, to join the protest concerning injustice stemming from the shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23.

Here are the numbers from every one of Zac Gallen’s 22 Major League starts:

1. *June 20, 2019 | @ St. Louis | 5 IP | 1 ER
2. June 26, 2019 | vs. Washington | 5 IP | 3 ER
3. July 2, 2019 | @ Washington | 2 IP | 2 ER
4. July 13, 2019 | vs. New York Mets | 5 IP | 2 ER
5. July 19, 2019 | @ Los Angeles Dodgers | 5.1 IP | 1 ER
6. July 24, 2019 | @ Chicago White Sox | 7 IP | 0 ER
7. July 30, 2019 | vs. Minnesota | 7 IP | 2 ER
8. **August 7, 2019 | vs. Philadelphia | 5 IP | 0 ER
9. August 13, 2019 | @ Colorado | 4 IP | 2 ER
10. August 19, 2019 | vs. Colorado | 6 IP | 1 ER
11. August 24, 2019 | @ Milwaukee | 5 IP | 2 ER
12. August 30, 2019 | vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 IP | 3 ER
13. September 4, 2019 | vs. San Diego | 7 IP | 0 ER
14. September 10, 2019 | @ New York Mets | 6 IP | 3 ER
15. September 15, 2019 | vs. Cincinnati | 5.2 IP | 3 ER
16. July 26, 2020 | @ San Diego | 4 IP | 1 ER
17. July 31, 2020 | vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 6 IP | 2 ER
18. August 6, 2020 | vs. Houston | 6 IP | 2 ER
19. August 11, 2020 | @ Colorado | 7 IP | 2 ER
20. August 17, 2020 | vs. Oakland | 7 IP | 1 ER
21. August 22, 2020 | @ San Francisco | 6 IP | 1 ER
22. August 28, 2020 | vs. San Francisco | 7 IP | 1 ER

* - Beginning of Miami career
** - Beginning of Arizona career

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