Zac Gallen quietly makes MLB history on downtrodden Diamondbacks team

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen is making MLB history on a forgotten team. While simultaneously making a case for the NL Cy Young Award.

It’s been a peculiar season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. A team that would be in playoff contention if they were in the American League Central at 65-69, instead finds themselves 4th in a highly competitive National League West. They’re a team nobody in the national media focuses on, and if they were, more people would be aware of the history D’backs pitcher Zac Gallen is making.

Since being knocked out of the game against the Cleveland Guardians back on Aug. 2, Gallen has compiled six straight scoreless games and 41.1 innings pitched.

Nevertheless, in those six games, Gallen is 5-0 with a 0.58 WHIP. He has also struck out 46 during his scoreless streak. Due to that performance, Gallen was recently named the NL Pitcher of the month for the first time this season.

Zac Gallen being historically good getting lost amid Diamondbacks’ trials

It feels like the lack of success from the team almost diminishes what he is accomplishing at the moment. Currently, he’s only two outs from catching former D’backs pitcher Brandon Webb’s streak (set in 2007) for a new Diamondbacks franchise record in scoreless innings.

Furthermore, Gallen has pitched phenomenally well all season long. He’s posted an 11-2 record, 2.42 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 156 strikeouts. On top of chasing history, he is also making a strong case for the NL Cy Young Award as well.

Does Gallen have a chance to get the 18 innings required to beat Orel Hershiser’s record of 59 scoreless innings? That remains to be seen, but whether he does or not, Gallen has contributed to giving a struggling Arizona franchise and has won more than 60 games for the first time since 2019. Hopefully, the national media takes notice and appreciates an improved, yet downtrodden Diamondbacks team.