The San Francisco Giants took down the Atlanta Braves, 9-3, in Truist Park on Wednesday afternoon. The Giants end up winning the series and have won two straight after a six-game losing streak that surrounded the All-Star break. They remain in contention at 54-49, as they entered Wednesday 2 ½ games out of the last NL wild-card spot.
The winning pitcher for the Giants? Justin Verlander. He worked five innings and allowed only one hit. Despite walking five, he still didn’t allow a single run. This was his first win of the season and first career win for the Giants. He’s now made 17 starts this season, his first with the ballclub, and is 1-8.
Remarkably, the 16-game winless streak was the longest by a Giants starting pitcher in franchise history and the longest of Verlander’s career. In fact, it was more than double his previous record. Before this season, the most starts Verlander had ever gone without a win was seven.
- From June 13, 2015 through July 24, 2015, he won zero games in seven starts.
- From May 29, 2024 through Sept. 8, 2024, he won zero games in seven starts (around injuries).
This 16-game winless stretch started to open the season and lasted until late July. It was quite a drought, especially considering the pitcher.
In related news, Verlander’s win Wednesday was the 263rd of his MLB career. He’s the active leader by a lot (Max Scherzer is next at 217) and is 41st in history. Gus Weyring sits 40th with 264. If Verlander can put together some momentum over the rest of this season, he could vault up a few spots. Jim McCormick has 265 career wins while Eppa Rixey and Bob Feller have 266, Jim Palmer won 268, Jamie Moyer won 269 and there’s a tie in 33rd place all time between Burleigh Grimes and Mike Mussina with 270 wins.
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