This Day In Dodgers History: Orel Hershiser Breaks Don Drysdale's Record With 59 Consecutive Scoreless Innings

"On Sept. 28, 1988, famed Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser made history by extending a remarkable stretch to 59 consecutive scoreless innings. He did so by throwing 10 innings against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium. Unfortunately, the Dodgers failed to provide him with any run support and then went on to suffer a 2-1 loss in 16 innings."

"Hershiser broke the record at the urging of then-manager Tommy Lasorda. He implored his starter to take the mound in the 10th inning of the scoreless game, which was against Hershiser's wishes as he preferred to simply tie Drysdale's mark. A strikeout-wild pitch allowed the leadoff man to reach in the bottom of the 10th, and he was then sacrificed into scoring position. Hershiser eventually faced runners at the corners with two outs, when he induced a fly out to end the inning."

"Hershiser's scoreless streak began Aug. 30, 1988, in his 29th start of the season. His outing against the Padres was the last of the regular season and came after the Dodgers had already clinched the division. He finished the year, an All-Star campaign, 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA en route to winning a Cy Young Award. Of course, Hershiser then went on to have one of the more remarkable performances in postseason history, ultimately helping the Dodgers defeat the Oakland Athletics in the World Series."

On Sept. 28, 1988, Orel Hershiser extended a scoreless innings streak to 59 by pitching 10 innings against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium. Manager Tommy Lasorda urged Hershiser into the 10th inning despite Hershiser preferring to only tie Don Drysdale's record. A strikeout-wild pitch allowed a leadoff runner in the 10th, who was sacrificed into scoring position before Hershiser induced a fly out to end the frame. The streak began Aug. 30, 1988, in his 29th start. Hershiser finished 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA, won the Cy Young, earned NLCS and World Series MVP honors, and later worked as a SportsNet LA analyst while providing Spring Training pitching coaching.

Read at Dodger Blue