Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired 45 consecutive batters across his last two starts, falling one short of the modern MLB record [1].
This stretch represents one of the most dominant displays of pitching in recent history, nearly erasing the existing league benchmark for consecutive outs. The near-record performance highlights Yamamoto's current form and the high stakes of a single defensive play in professional baseball.
The streak spanned two separate appearances. Yamamoto first began the run during a start against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium earlier this week [2]. He carried that momentum into a June 13 game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field [2].
During the contest against the White Sox, Yamamoto retired 23 batters before the streak was interrupted [3]. He carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning as the Dodgers defeated the White Sox with a final score of 7-1 [3].
The pursuit of the modern MLB record of 46 consecutive batters retired ended abruptly [1]. A ground-ball error by shortstop Mookie Betts allowed a baserunner to reach, which prevented both a perfect game and a tie with the historic mark [1].
Yamamoto had remained untouched by opposing hitters for the vast majority of the two-game sequence. The error by Betts served as the sole catalyst for the end of three historic streaks in a short span of batters [4]. Despite the missed record, the performance solidified the pitcher's status as a primary force in the league's current rotation.
“Yamamoto retired 45 consecutive batters across his last two starts”
While Yamamoto did not tie the record, retiring 45 straight batters is an elite statistical anomaly that places him in the upper echelon of pitching history. The fact that the streak ended via a fielding error rather than a hit underscores the precarious nature of 'perfect' streaks in baseball, where a pitcher's historic bid is often dependent on the flawless execution of his teammates.
