Jake Odorizzi Could Match Randy Johnson’s Record

Jake Odorizzi will be handed the ball in the second of what is a three game set against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field this evening, and all eyes will be on him.

Of course, he is going to be the only man on the mound so everyone’s eyes will naturally be focused on him, but I mean this in a different way.

How so? Well, if Jake Odorizzi can perform this evening in the same manner he has in his first two starts of the season, he has a chance at putting himself alone in major league baseball history.

In Jake’s first two starts he has pitched at least six innings while allowing two hits or fewer and one run or less, making him just the third AL pitcher in the last 100 years to do so.

The other two are Alexi Ogando (2011, TEX) and Runelvys Hernandez (2003, KC).

Only on NL pitcher has accomplished this feat, and he goes by the name of Roger Clemens, who did such in 2004 for the Houston Astros.

I did say earlier that Odorizzi has a chance to make history tonight, and here’s how. If he manages to put together another start with at least six innings pitcher, two hits or fewer and one run or fewer allowed, he would become the first in major league history to accomplish this.

Only one pitcher has ever done this at any point during a season, and that was Randy Johnson back in 1997 from June 2-13 with the Seattle Mariners.

Even without tonight’s start in mind, Jake Odorizzi is having one heck of a start to the 2015 season. He ranks 5th in the AL in ERA (0.61), 2nd in opponent’s average (.085) and is tied for 1st in wins (2).

Here is some recaps of Odorizzi’s first two starts of the season:

April 8 vs. Baltimore:

April 13 at Toronto:

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