On May 9th, in sports history, one significant event took place in 1965 when the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale began his record-setting streak of throwing 58 consecutive scoreless innings.
Drysdale, a dominant right-hander and a future Hall of Famer, took the mound against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium. Little did he know that this game would mark the beginning of one of the most impressive pitching accomplishments in Major League Baseball history.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Drysdale was virtually unhittable. He shut out the opposition game after game, mowing down batters with his powerful fastball and devastating curveball. Fans packed Dodger Stadium to witness history in the making, as Drysdale inched closer and closer to the record books with each passing inning.
The streak reached its apex on June 4th, 1965, when Drysdale pitched a complete game shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies, extending his scoreless innings streak to 58. This surpassed the previous record of 56 innings, set by Walter Johnson in 1913.
Drysdale's incredible run finally came to an end on June 8th against the Phillies when he gave up a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, but not before cementing his place in baseball lore. His 58 consecutive scoreless innings remained a record until another Dodgers great, Orel Hershiser, broke it in 1988 with 59 innings.
Don Drysdale's achievement on this day in 1965 serves as a testament to his skill, endurance, and dominance on the mound, and it remains one of the most remarkable feats in the history of America's national pastime.
