Jenks Ties Record

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Aug 13, 2007 4:25PM

Those of us who pledge allegiance to a certain South Side baseball team have had precious few bright spots this season. Mark Buehrle's no-hitter and ... well, that about it.

Another bright spot may come soon courtesy of Sox closer Bobby Jenks, who on Sunday tied a major league record by retiring his 41st straight batter faced. The last batter to reach base against Jenks was Ryan Garko of the Cleveland Indians back on July 17.

That's thirteen plus straight appearances without a hit. Thirteen appearances without a walk. For perspective, had Buehrle thrown a perfect game instead of his one-walk no-hitter, he would retired just 27 straight.

How much longer can Jenks keep his streak going? With the next batter faced, he will break Jim Barr's 1972 record set while pitching for San Francisco. How many more batters will he add to the record? If only the rest of the White Sox bullpen could go even five batters without a baserunner, maybe they'd still be in the playoff hunt.

Image via AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh