Dodgers pitcher Greinke sees scoreless streak end

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke saw his impressive streak of scoreless innings pitched ended at 45 and 2/3 innings Sunday against the New York Mets.

The streak was the fourth-longest in baseball since 1961 and 13 1/3 innings shy of Orel Hershiser's record of 59 scoreless innings pitched from August 30 to September 28, 1988.

It also was behind scoreless streaks of 58 innings by Hall of Famers Don Drys ale and 47 by Bob Gibson in 1968 -- a sparkling year for pitching in the Major Leagues.

Greinke's run ended in the third inning when Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom hit a ground ball to Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez charged in and tried get the first out of the inning at home, but Mets center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis -- walked earlier by Greinke -- scored ahead of catcher Yasmani Grandal's tag.

Greinke led the major leagues with a 1.30 earned run average going into the game, which was his first since a flying trip home to Los Angeles, where his wife Emily gave birth to the couple's first child on Thursday.

"Surprisingly, it wasn't as distracting as you would think," he said of the trip, noting that he retired the first six batters he faced in the game.

"If it would have affected me, I would have started off bad and got better," he said. "But I started off good and got worse."

Greinke hadn't allowed a run since June 13 against San Diego.

He ended up surrendering two runs in seven innings in the Dodgers' 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Mets.

Greinke wasn't too upset to see the streak end.

"If anything, I feel negative about it," he said. "Having to deal with answering questions about it all the time."

But his run has made him reconsider the possibility that Hershiser's record could be broken.

He once thought the mark was all but untouchable -- just like Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.

"It looks like people are getting closer to the Hershiser one now, so maybe eventually it might happen," Greinke said.
Source: AFP