Skenes' red-hot radar readings highlight wild week of stats

Here’s our weekly look at 10 mind-blowing notes from the last week in baseball (May 10-16).

Welcome to The Show: Paul Skenes made his MLB debut on Saturday with his velocity on display. His first MLB batter was a 100.9 mph strikeout, tying Gerrit Cole in the 2013 NLDS Game 5 for the fastest strikeout by a Pirates starter in the pitch-tracking era (2008, including the postseason). Then, in the second inning, he had a 101.2 mph strikeout, setting that record all for himself. Skenes’ 101.9 mph pitch in the first inning, the 12th of his MLB career, was the fastest pitch by a Pirates starter in the pitch-tracking era.

Powerful pitching: On Friday, Tyler Glasnow and Michael King became the third pair of pitchers to each have at least 10 strikeouts and allow two hits or fewer in the same game (since at least 1901). They joined Brandon Woodruff (7 IP) and Max Scherzer (6 IP) on May 30, 2021, and Corbin Burnes (6 1/3 IP) and José Berríos (6 IP) on April 3, 2021. Glasnow and King are the only of those duos to both also go at least seven innings. King’s outing was part of a streak when the Padres became the first rotation to go four straight games with at least five innings pitched while allowing two hits or fewer since the mound was moved to 60-feet, 6-inches in 1893, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Spectacular Shota: Through his latest start Monday, Shota Imanaga now has a 0.96 ERA. That’s the fourth-lowest ERA by a pitcher in his first eight career starts since earned runs became official in both leagues (1913) excluding openers. He trails only 1981 Fernando Valenzuela (0.50), 1945 Dave Ferris (0.75) and 1967-68 Cisco Carlos (0.95). It’s the second-lowest ERA in the first eight starts of a season by a Cubs pitcher since earned runs became official in the NL (1912), behind only 1918 Phil Douglas’ 0.95.

Trading zeroes: Ryan Weathers and Reese Olson sparkled on Tuesday. It was the 11th time two pitchers each had scoreless, walk-less outings of at least eight innings in the same game since 1901. It was just the third of those where both pitchers also allowed three hits or fewer. The duo joined Antonio Senzatela and Zack Greinke on Aug. 18, 2020, and Jon Matlack and Ron Guidry on April 10, 1980.

Action Jackson: Jackson Chourio crushed his fifth career homer on Wednesday, hitting it 441 feet. He’s the fourth player with at least five home runs and five stolen bases in his first 39 career games at age 20 or younger (since at least 1901). He joins 2019 Fernando Tatis Jr., 2015 Carlos Correa and 1989 Ken Griffey Jr.

Current Ironman: Matt Olson has played 498 consecutive games entering the weekend, dating to May 2, 2021. There have been only six longer streaks since 2000, per Elias. They belong to 2000-07 Miguel Tejada (1,152 consecutive games), 2018-22 Whit Merrifield (553), 2010-14 Prince Fielder (547), 2000-03 Alex Rodriguez (546), 2003-06 Hideki Matsui (518) and 2004-07 Mark Teixeira (507).

Tranquilo: Camilo Doval brought some of his highest-velocity heat in the ninth against the division-rival Dodgers on Wednesday. His 102.5 mph strikeout of Andy Pages tied himself on Sept. 14, 2022, for the second-fastest strikeout pitch by a Giants pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), behind only Doval's 102.9 mph strikeout on Aug. 8, 2022. He has each of the top 12 on that list and 26 of the top 27.

What a stretch: The Dodgers allowed four runs or fewer in 22 consecutive games before the franchise-record streak ended Thursday. The last MLB team with a single-season streak that long was Cleveland with 25 straight in 2017 (began with final 21 games of their 22-game win streak; went 24-1 in stretch). Overall, it’s tied for the fourth-longest single-season such streak in the Live Ball Era (1920) with the 1924 Senators, behind only the aforementioned 2017 Cleveland (25), the 2010 Giants (23) and 1972 Cubs (23).

And still unswept: Teams enter each series trying to win the series, but even just avoiding being swept is worth noting. To that end, the Orioles have now gone 105 straight series without being swept, entering the weekend. That’s the third-most consecutive series of multiple games without being swept, per Elias. They trail only the 1942-44 Cardinals (125) and 1903-05 Giants (106).

Extended the streak in style: The streak was on the line Wednesday, but the Orioles avoided a two-game sweep thanks to an Adley Rutschman walk-off homer. Jordan Westburg had led off the game with a home run, making it the second time this season Baltimore hit both a leadoff and walk-off homer in the same game (also April 17). They’re the second team in MLB history with two such games in a season, joining the 1962 Mets. Wednesday was extra special because those homers accounted for all of the Orioles’ runs. It was the fourth game in MLB history where a team hit a leadoff and walk-off homer and scored no runs in between, per Elias. The others: 9/2/1983 PHI vs SF (Joe Morgan leadoff, Ozzie Virgil pinch-hit walk-off grand slam), 8/22/1971 OAK vs BOS (Bert Campaneris leadoff, Reggie Jackson inside-the-park walk-off; both off Sonny Siebert) and 8/9/1966 ATL vs LAD (Felipe Alou leadoff, Eddie Mathews walk-off; both off Sandy Koufax).