Fastball

Braves Hold Off Phillies as Closer Does Something Not Seen in Last Decade of History

The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night as closer Raisel Iglesias did something not done in the last decade of baseball history.

Brady Farkas

Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) pitches the ball against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Truist Park on Aug 22.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) pitches the ball against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Truist Park on Aug 22. / Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night by a score of 3-2 at Truist Park in Atlanta. The win moves the Braves to 68-59 on the season while the loss drops Philadelphia to 74-53. Both teams are currently in playoff position, with the Phillies leading the National League East and the Braves leading the battle for the third wild card spot.

The Braves got a very solid pitching performance from rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, who went 6.2 innings while giving up two runs on just three hits. He walked one and struck out nine. He is now 5-6 with a respectable 3.94 ERA.

Standout closer Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth inning to earn his 28th save of the season. He hasn't allowed an earned run since June 16. He has an ERA of 1.45 and just made some baseball history that hasn't been done in the last decade.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Raisel Iglesias’ 35 consecutive batters retired is the longest streak by a Braves pitcher in the Expansion Era (1961)

last MLB pitcher with a streak of 35+: Yusmeiro Petit, 46 straight, 7/22-8/28/2014

h/t @EliasSports

While the MLB-related number is awesome, it's also impressive to see him set a Braves record as well. The 34-year-old Iglesias is 2-1 this season and has struck out 49 batters in 49.2 innings. An 11-year veteran, he's pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels and Braves.

The Braves will be back in action on Friday night against the Washington Nationals. First pitch is set for 7:20 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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