By Adam Roberts – 4/21/2021
Six more innings, 10 more strikeouts, and still no walks. That was the night for Brewers’ pitcher Corbin Burnes against the Padres.
The 6-0 Milwaukee win will probably be remembered more for the acrobatic catch made by fill-in left fielder Billy McKinney in the fourth inning, but Burnes’ outing must also be remembered. We’ve already written one article this month about the incredible start to Burnes’ season, and so far, the plan to conserve Burnes’ production while reaping its benefits appears to be working perfectly for the team.
Since his loss to the Twins in game two of the regular season, Corbin hasn’t been pushed past the sixth inning when he easily could have been. While it’s tough to see this pace continue all year for Burnes, he could be in some historic company if it were to. The all-time single season strikeout record is a ludicrously high 511 from the arm of Matt Kilroy on the 1886 Baltimore Orioles team, but Burnes is on pace for 360, which would be the 16th most in a single season behind Randy Johnson’s 364 in 1999.
The Crew go for the series sweep this afternoon at Petco Park. Adrian Houser gets the start against San Diego righty Dinelson Lamet.