Earlier this week, Diamondbacks’ ace Zac Gallen sat down with Mookie Betts to discuss everything from the unfortunate bird incident to the one batter that Gallen would love to face in any period of MLB history.
Without hesitation, Gallen’s choice was none other than Babe Ruth, often hailed as the greatest baseball player of all time.
Interestingly, Zac approached his answer with a unique perspective. The leading Cy Young candidate pointed out that many believe Babe Ruth might struggle in today’s era, possibly going 0-50 at the plate.
Intriguingly, Gallen expressed his curiosity about the legitimacy of Ruth’s success in the early 1900s, sharing, “No disrespect, but I’m genuinely curious to know.”
Speaking of legendary players with dual talents in hitting and pitching, Zac Gallen offered high praise for Shohei Ohtani.
More particularly, Gallen discussed how it felt to strikeout the Angels’ star during this year’s All-Star game.
While Zac Gallen has experienced a recent dip in performance, he still leads the National League in the Cy Young odds.
Tonight’s matchup against the Padres presents Gallen with a chance not only to halt his team’s ongoing nine-game losing streak but also to break a personal streak—specifically, the Diamondbacks’ five consecutive losses in games where he’s on the mound.
The last time Arizona secured a victory with Gallen starting was over a month ago, on July 7th, against the Pirates.
Fortunately, San Diego could be the team to help Gallen snap this streak. In his previous encounter with the Padres, he delivered an impressive performance, pitching 7 innings, conceding just 2 hits, and striking out 11 batters in a 9-0 Diamondbacks win.
First pitch tonight’s game is scheduled for 5:10 PM at Chase Field.
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