Zac Gallen

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Zachary Peter Gallen
(Milkman)

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Biographical Information[edit]

On September 4, 2019, rookie pitcher Zac Gallen took a no-hitter into the 7th inning against the San Diego Padres, before surrendering a one-out single to Manny Machado. He had a 2-4 record in 12 starts entering the game in spite of an excellent ERA of 2.79, and once again was a victim of poor run support as the game was still scoreless when Machado reached base. He completed the inning with no further damage and then was the beneficiary of a four-run rally by his teammates in the bottom of the frame to end up a 4-1 winner, with three relievers completing his fine work. He had started the year with the Miami Marlins, making his major league debut on June 20th, then was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31st, in return for minor leaguer Jazz Chisholm. He finished the season at 3-6, 2.81 in 15 starts.

Gallen was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 2016 amateur draft. On December 14, 2017, he was traded to Miami alongside Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Castano and Magneuris Sierra in return for OF Marcell Ozuna in the fire sale that followed the Marlins' acquisition by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter.

His sophomore major league season was very similar to his first, as he was limited to 12 starts by the Coronavirus pandemic that cut down the season to just 60 games. He went 3-2, 2.75 as he led the Diamondbacks in innings (72.0) and strikeouts (82) while tying with Merrill Kelly for the most wins. In 2021, in his third start of the year on April 25th, he recorded his first career complete game and shutout when he hurled a one-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, winning 5-0. The game lasted only 7 innings as it was the first game of a doubleheader; in the second game, teammate Madison Bumgarner did even better, throwing an unofficial no-hitter in a 7-0 win. That was a rare highlight for the D-Backs that year, though, as they had a dreadful season that saw them finish last in the NL West tied for the worst record in the majors. He made 23 starts in all and finished at 4-10, 4.30. He bounced back strongly in 2022 however, as he set personal bests for wins, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts by the end of August. Indeed, he was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for August after going 5-0, 0.68 for the month. He was the second straight Diamondbacks pitcher to win the honor, following Kelly in July. He had an active scoreless streak of 34 1/3 innings when the award was announced, and extended it to 41 1/3 innings with 7 innings of two-hit ball in a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on September 4th. That made it the eighth longest such streak since 1920, and he was the fourth pitcher during that span to pitch six consecutive games of 6 or more scoreless innings. His streak ended on September 11th when the Colorado Rockies scored off him in the 4th inning, ending it at 44 1/3 innings, making it the 7th longest in AL/NL history, moving past former D-Backs ace Brandon Webb when he completed a scoreless 1st inning. He won his 12th game that day, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings in a 12-6 win. On September 22nd, he set a personal best mark with 13 strikeouts against the Los Angeles Dodgers, although his great performance of allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and no walks in 8 innings against the best team in the majors resulted in a no-decision. He finished the year at 13-4, 2.54 in 31 games, with 192 strikeouts in 184 innings. He aas 5th in the voting for the 2022 National League Cy Young Award.

He started off 2023 just where he had left off the previous year, as he went 4-1, 2.15 over his first 6 starts. At that point, he was leading the National League with 37 2/3 innings and 51 strikeouts. A 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on April 26th gave him a scoreless streak of 28 innings - still well short of his remarkable one the previous season, but outstanding nonetheless. He was almost as dominant in May, going 3-1, 3.34 in 6 starts to lead the NL in wins at that point. He had also allowed just 2 homers in 72 2/3 innings, the lowest rate in the league. He was untouchable at home with 6 wins in as many starts and an ERA of 0.66. He was named the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2023 All-Star Game in what was his first All-Star nomination. On August 28th, however, he experienced a first he would rather not have seen, as he allowed four homers in a game for the first time of his career in a 7-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers; the six earned runs he gave up that day were also the most he had allowed that season. He finished the season at 17-9, 3.47, with 220 strikeouts in 210 innings. He was in the top 10 in the NL for ERA (7th), Wins (2nd), Winning Percentage (8th), WHIP (6th), Innings Pitched (2nd) and Strikeouts (3rd) and finished third in the voting for the Cy Young Award. Pitching in the postseason for the first time, he won his start in both the Wild Card Series and Division Series, but was hit hard in the NLCS, when the Philadelphia Phillies touched him for 9 runs in 11 innings over two starts, which he both lost. Still, the Diamondbacks made it to the World Series, where they faced the Texas Rangers, and he made another two starts, allowing 4 runs in 11 1/3 innings, but still being saddled with a 5-0 loss in Game 5 on November 1st, the loss that gave the Rangers their first ever championship.

He started off the 2024 season on the right foot as he was the beneficiary of a record 14-run inning as the Opening Day starter on March 28th, in a game in which the D-Backs defeated the Colorado Rockies, 16-1. Lost among all the runs was the fact he had pitched very well, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits in 5 innings. In his second start on April 2nd, he became the first pitcher to hand the New York Yankees, who had started the year 5-0, a loss that season thanks to six scoreless innings in a 7-0 win. One had to go back to the 2001 World Series to find the last instance when Arizona had shut out the Bronx Bombers.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • NL All-Star (2023)
  • NL Shutouts Leader (2023)
  • 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2023)
  • 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (2023)
  • 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (2023)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Steve Gilbert: "Gallen joins Drysdale, Hershiser, Greinke with rare feat", mlb.com, September 4, 2022. [1]
  • Steve Gilbert: "Intention and purpose' fuel Gallen's quest for perfection", mlb.com, February 22, 2023. [2]
  • Steve Gilbert: "Gallen (28 scoreless innings) fooling everyone: Forget hitting him (12 K's), identifying the pitches is challenging enough", mlb.com, April 26, 2023. [3]
  • Steve Gilbert: "Gallen places third in NL Cy Young Award voting", mlb.com, November 15, 2023. [4]
  • Steve Gilbert: "'All about Zac Gallen tonight': Ace cools hot Yanks; D-backs shut out New York for first time since 2001 World Series", mlb.com, April 3, 2024. [5]
  • Bob Nightengale: "D-backs ace Zac Gallen erasing all doubt that he's one of baseball's best", USA Today, May 15, 2022. [6]
  • Owen Perkins: "Gallen's scoreless streak ends as 7th longest in history: Right-hander passes Brandon Webb for D-backs' franchise mark", mlb.com, September 11, 2022. [7]
  • Steve Stockmar: "Gallen (0.66 ERA) remains untouchable at home: Righty turns in his 4th scoreless outing in 6 starts at Chase Field this season", mlb.com, May 31, 2023. [8]

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