Burnes (7-4) earned the win over the Cubs on Wednesday, pitching eight scoreless innings during which he allowed four hits and no walks while striking out 15.
The 2021 season has been a coming out campaign for Burnes, and his ascension to the ranks of MLB's elite starters hit its high point Wednesday when the right-hander notched a career-high 15 punchouts. Even more remarkably, Burnes at one point struck out 10 straight batters -- all on swinging strikes -- to tie a major-league record. Altogether, he induced a whopping 30 swings-and-misses, the second most of any pitcher in a single game this season. With the spectacular outing, Burnes now holds a 2.23 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 172:21 K:BB across 121 innings. He'll look to continue building his Cy Young case when he faces St. Louis on the road next week.