Zac Gallen sets record with 22 starts allowing 3 ER or less to begin career

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen was good at the start of his career in Miami before Arizona traded for him, and he’s been even better since.

Through seven starts with the Marlins and 15 more as a D-back, Gallen has not allowed more than three earned runs in all 22 of his career starts. That’s a new record, passing Aaron Sele, one Gallen set against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, a 7-4 win over the Giants.

In 7.0 innings of one-run ball, Gallen allowed five hits and a walk, striking out five.

Not only is Gallen not giving up many runs this year, but he’s getting through games. Friday marks the sixth of Gallen’s seven 2020 starts in which he’s pitched at least six innings. It was also the fifth outing he’s walked one or less batters in.

That three earned runs sounds like a qualifier you’d expect Gallen to hit frequently, as if he’s coming rather close to not maintaining this record on a consistent basis, but he has not given up more than two earned runs in any start this season. Only three of the seven starts, in fact, have hit even two earned runs. And in 2019 over those 15 outings, only four reached that quota of three earned runs.

A full breakdown of those earned run totals:

In @zacgallen23’s 22 Major League starts, he has allowed:

0 runs – 3 times
1 run – 7 times
2 runs – 8 times
3 runs – 4 times
4+ runs – 0 times

That’s the longest streak allowing 3 or fewer ER in every start to begin a career in @MLB history. pic.twitter.com/HphYJ7P6EH

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 29, 2020

Gallen was acquired by the D-backs on July 31 of 2019 for No. 1 ranked prospect shortstop Jazz Chisholm.

Arizona had a need for starting pitching and a surplus of middle infielders like Chisholm in the system, as well as having long-term pieces on the big league roster already in shortstop Nick Ahmed and second baseman Ketel Marte.

Gallen now has a career ERA of 2.49.

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