Dodgers “team effort” of 33 straight scoreless innings, a playoff record

LOS ANGELES – Four days ago, the Dodgers were facing elimination and, as the better seeds, in danger of a third straight loss in the Division Series. Then they simply stopped allowing runs, which gave them the lead in the National League playoffs.

A bullpen game shut out the Padres in Game 4 in San Diego, then Yoshinobu Yamamoto and friends threw more zeroes in the crucial NLDS Game 5 at home. On Sunday, Jack Flaherty led the way with the longest start by a Dodger in the playoffs in three years. That's three shutouts in a row, which has only happened twice in MLB postseason history.

Unsurprisingly, these are also among the three longest scoreless streaks in history:

• 2024 Dodgers: 33 straight scoreless innings
• 1966 Orioles: 33 innings
• 1905 Giants: 28 innings

Baltimore played the Dodgers in 1966, who were then reigning champions and won their third pennant in four years. In Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, Jim Lefebvre hit a home run off Dave McNally in the second inning. In the third inning, three walks forced McNally out of the game, followed later by another walk by Jim Gilliam, who brought home a run that pulled the Dodgers to within 4-2.

They never scored again, not in the final six innings of Game 1, not against 20-year-old Jim Palmer in Game 2, not against Wally Bunker in Game 3, and not against McNally in Game 4 to cap off a stunning run .

The 1905 World Series was not the Bay Bridge Series, even though it involved the Giants and A's, just that they represented New York and Philadelphia at the time. This was the dead ball era and all five games of that World Series were shutouts. New York was on the losing side in Game 2, but the Giants finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

Christy Mathewson pitched a shutout in Game 3, three days after his shutout in Game 1. Then again in Game 5 just a day of restMathewson threw another shutout to help the Giants win the title. Joe McGinnity threw a shutout in Game 4, avenging his audacity in allowing three full runs three days earlier.

The Orioles streak only included four pitchers total. The Giants streak was only two.

This Dodgers streak so far has a dozen contributors to reach 33 straight innings.

“I think it’s just a collective effort,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “We were very good defensively and converted outs when we needed to. I think the coaches did a great job of relaying the information and making it tangible and allowing our pitchers and catchers to dictate the order and catch the ball the right way.

“And the front office, just the information we get. I just think the way we prevent runs is a complete team effort, a collective effort.”

The streak began with the final three innings of Walker Buehler's start in Game 3 on Tuesday. Sunday ended with a perfect ninth inning by Ben Casparius against the Mets. Here are all the Dodgers pitchers who contributed to the Dodgers' 33 scoreless innings and counting:

• Flaherty: 7 IP
• Yamamoto 5 IP
• Bühler 3 IP
• Evan Phillips 3 IP
• Michael Kopech 3 IP
• Daniel Hudson 2⅔ IP
• Blake Treinen 2 IP
• Alex Vesia 2 IP
• Anthony Banda 2 IP
• Ryan Brasier 1⅓ IP
• Landon Knack 1 IP
• Casparius 1 IP

This group allowed 14 hits and seven walks in 33 scoreless innings, for 27 strikeouts.

Brasier will be the first Dodgers pitcher of their bullpen game on Monday afternoon (1:08 p.m., Fox and FS1), with a chance to break away from the Orioles and have the longest scoreless streak all to himself.