The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen in Major League Baseball took one step closer to achieving an ML first-time milestone.
The Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on the road at American Family Field in Milwaukee on the 25th (Korea time).
Starter Yamamoto Yoshinobu was the winning pitcher after a strong outing of seven innings, seven hits allowed, three strikeouts, one walk and one run. The Dodgers bullpen preserved the win by pitching two scoreless innings. With this, the Dodgers bullpen extended its streak to 38 consecutive scoreless innings. Now the ML record for the first time in history is within sight.
With the Dodgers leading 5-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Will Klein took the mound. He retired Jackson Chourio on a flyout to right field, struck out Brice Turang swinging, and struck out William Contreras to end the inning with a 1-2-3;
Tanner Scott entered in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out Luis Rengifo swinging, got Andrew Vaughn on a groundout to first base, and struck out Blake Perkins on a foul tip to end the game.
The Dodgers bullpen extended its streak to 38 consecutive scoreless innings. The Dodgers franchise record had already been broken earlier. The previous high was 33 consecutive scoreless innings in 1998, and it has been extended to 38 innings.
They closed in on the Cleveland Guardians' 38 2/3 scoreless innings record from 2017. MLB.com reported on the 25th that, according to Elias Sports, the Dodgers bullpen's streak of 38 consecutive scoreless innings is the longest bullpen scoreless streak since the pitching distance was moved to its current length in 1893, after Cleveland's 38 2/3 innings in 2017.
The all-time major league record is 45 2/3 innings, set by Detroit in 1962.
The last bullpen run allowed by the Dodgers came on the 13th against the San Francisco Giants, when starter Yamamoto was removed after 6 1/3 innings and five runs and Blake Treinen allowed one run in the seventh. It was a two-run double by Lee Jung-hoo.
The Dodgers' bullpen lost Edwin Díaz, whom they signed last winter as their closer, to elbow surgery after he posted a 1-4 record, four saves and a 10.50 ERA in seven appearances, and he is out of the lineup. Manager Dave Roberts praised Scott, saying he 'has done a great job filling the team's primary closer void.' Roberts said, 'The way he throws the ball and his efficiency have been really helpful to us after losing Díaz.'
Scott signed a four-year, $72 million free agent contract with the Dodgers ahead of the 2025 season. Last year he underperformed with 61 games (57 innings), a 1-4 record, 23 saves, eight holds and a 4.74 ERA. He blew 10 saves. He struggled especially in the second half, posting a 6.92 ERA in 16 games with two losses, four holds and seven saves. He was criticized as a free rider. He also had an injury late in the season. Ultimately, the Dodgers did not include Scott, who was recovering from injury, on their postseason roster.
This year, however, Scott has appeared in 23 games (21 2/3 innings) and been dominant with a 1-1 record, four saves, four holds and a 1.25 ERA. This is exactly the performance the Dodgers expected when they signed him.
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