Yusmeiro Petit sets MLB record for consecutive batters retired

It started quietly on July 22, but over a month later, Giants reliever (and sometimes starter) Yusmeiro Petit has made history. The right-hander broke the record for consecutive batters retired on Thursday while facing the Rockies in San Francisco, setting down the first eight batters he faced to log consecutive outs Nos. 39 through 46. This put him ahead of Mark Buehrle, who, while with the White Sox in 2009, threw a perfect game against the Rays and then retired the first 17 Twins he faced in his next start.

Petit was making just his second start during the streak, as his final out from a July 22 start -- only his sixth of the season -- began this whole thing. With Tim Lincecum now out of the Giants rotation, at least temporarily, a space opened up for Pettit to try to get all eight remaining outs needed to break the record in one go.

Coincidentally, the record is now back in the Giants' hands: San Francisco reliever Jim Barr set it in 1972 by retiring 41 batters in a row, then Buehrle's teammate, reliever Bobby Jenks, tied it in 2007, two years before Buehrle would surpass both of them with his work as a starter.

Petit had been phenomenal during this stretch, even outside of retiring everyone he's faced. He struck out 21 batters in the 15⅓ innings comprising the streak, and obviously, didn't allow a single hit or walk in that process. It ended before he could stretch it any further, however, as Rockies starting pitcher Jordan Lyles picked up a double immediately after Petit punched out Charlie Culberson to set the new mark, and then any attempt at a lengthy scoreless streak was snapped when Charlie Blackmon drove Lyles in with a single next.