Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen made history during a game against the Colorado Rookies on May 30. His performance at his home ground at Chase Field was so powerful that he pulled off a feat not seen in more than 100 years.
OptaStats tweeted, “Zac Gallen over his last 12 appearances at home: 10-1 record, 0.68 ERA, 0.68 WHIP. He’s the first MLB pitcher to have 10+ wins with an ERA and WHIP both under 0.70 over a span of 12 home appearances since Walter Johnson did it from June 12 to September 15, 1917.”
Gallen hails from Somerdale, New Jersey, and made his first Major League Baseball (MLB) appearance for the Miami Marlins in 2018. He had previously played with the Palm Beach Cardinals, Springfield Cardinals, and Memphis Redbirds. The Miami Marlins traded Gallen for Jazz Chisholm Jr. with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019.
In January of this year, he signed a $5.6 million contract with the Diamondbacks as his career performances go from strength to strength. Last year, he won NL Pitcher of the Month in August, and Player of the Week in September.
Baseball writer Michael McDermott called his August performance “flat out ridiculous.” He said, “batters simply were overwhelmed against Gallen’s vast repertoire of pitches.”
A month later, Gallen was awarded the Player of the Week accolade for August 29th-September 4th. Sports Illustrated said, “He made two starts of 7 innings each without allowing a run, while striking out 14 batters and giving up just 4 hits and two walks.”
Gallen’s most recent feat for the Diamondbacks was the greatest since Walter Johnson’s record in 1917. Johnson was a pitcher for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. Regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in the game’s history, he once said, “From the first time I held a ball, it settled in the palm of my right hand as though it belonged there.” He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
