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It isn't often that a starting pitcher dominates the way Lance Lynn did on Sunday and fails to win the game. But that's exactly what happened to the Chicago White Sox ace in Seattle.
The Mariners beat Chicago 5-1 at T-Mobile Park, tagging Lynn for three runs in seven innings even though the right-hander recorded 16 strikeouts. Lynn became only the third MLB pitcher since 2001 to lose a game in the way his team lost it on Sunday -- quite the dampener on a largely-brilliant performance.
Lynn makes White Sox history
Lynn has had a difficult 2023 season, but the former All-Star allowed only six baserunners in Sunday's losing effort for one of his strongest performances all year. In addition, he tied the White Sox record for strikeouts in a game -- set nearly 70 years ago.
Lynn, 36, has pitched for five teams in his 12-year MLB career and was a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award in 2021, when he pitched to a 2.69 ERA and recorded 176 strikeouts in 28 starts. But even after Sunday's record-tying start, he still has a 4-8 record and a 6.51 ERA in 2023.
The most strikeouts by a pitcher in nearly a year
Lynn tied Atlanta's Spencer Strider for the most strikeouts in a single game over the past season and a half -- and he came close to making even more history on a bittersweet afternoon.
With two more strikeouts, Lynn would have become the first pitcher in seven years to record at least 18 punchouts in a nine-inning game -- something that has been done only 22 times since 1938.
Three pitchers in baseball history -- Roger Clemens, Max Scherzer, and Kerry Wood -- have gone a step further and recorded 20 strilkeouts in a nine-inning game, performances their teams backed up with wins.