Brewers' Corbin Burnes sets record for most strikeouts before walking a batter to start season
A brief stint on the injured list only delayed Milwaukee Brewers right-handed starting pitcher Corbin Burnes' quest for history, but it didn't prevent it from happening.
During Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Burnes tallied his 52nd strikeout to start the season without issuing a single walk, breaking the record for that category previously held by Kenley Jansen of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jansen set his record of 51 in 2017.
Per Adam McCalvy of the MLB website, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals is third on the list with 35 K's without a walk to begin a campaign.
The Brewers initially gave no reason for why Burnes went on the IL back on April 29, but he said on Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID-19. Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the 26-year-old explained he remained asymptomatic and believed he recorded a so-called "false positive."
"So we did all the subsequent testing after, and it came back that it was an actual positive," he said. "We were fortunate enough that throughout the contact tracing and everything else that no one else was forced to miss time and no one else tested positive. So as far as that front goes, it was successful."
Burnes started the afternoon 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and, of course, zero walks on the season.
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