CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Chase Burns is putting together a season nearly unmatched by a pitcher his age in modern baseball history.
Burns delivered seven scoreless innings Friday night as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Miami Marlins 1-0, improving the 23-year-old right-hander to 14-2 with a 2.47 ERA this season.
Per OptaSTATS, since earned runs became an official statistic in both leagues in 1913, the only pitcher to finish a season with an ERA below 2.50 and a winning percentage of at least .850 before turning 24 was Dwight Gooden with the New York Mets in 1985.
Burns currently owns an .875 winning percentage.
Against Miami, Burns allowed four hits, struck out eight and did not issue a walk. Only one Marlins runner reached second base during his seven innings.
“Just getting back to my roots, just trying to throw the ball over the plate and get some swing-and-miss and try to put up some zeros,” Burns said, via Reds.com.
The performance was an emphatic response to his roughest start of the season. Burns allowed five runs over 5 1/3 innings against Washington in his previous outing, snapping a 17-start unbeaten streak that included 12 winning decisions.
“Just fill up the zone. Not trying to be too perfect,” Burns said. “I’m kind of a just ‘throw it down the middle and let it eat.’ Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I think it’s been working so far.”
Burns’ 14 victories rank second in the league, while his 2.47 ERA ranks third in the National League and fifth in the majors.
Worth noting, his workload has also reached new territory. Burns has thrown 131 innings, more than triple the 43 1/3 innings he pitched last season and nearly twice his 66 innings in the minor leagues.