Dodgers tie MLB record by striking out 26 Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers reached a special level of futility in Friday night's 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming only the third team in Major League Baseball history to strike out 26 times in a single game.

The Brewers had the arduous task of facing Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who punched out 14 over seven strong innings.

L.A. tied the California Angels for the most strikeouts in a game. However, the Angels took 20 innings to reach the mark on July 9, 1971, while the Dodgers only needed 12.

Dodgers relievers Pedro Baez, Grant Dayton, and Kenley Jansen combined for 12 strikeouts over the final five innings. Jansen nearly struck out the side in the bottom of the 12th inning before Travis Shaw popped out with two strikes to end the game.

The Brewers' pitchers deserve some credit of their own, as starter Jimmy Nelson struck out 11 batters over eight scoreless innings before the bullpen managed to fan five more.

Overall, the teams combined for 42 strikeouts, breaking the National League record by two. The San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres combined for 40 strikeouts in 15 innings in 2001.

The all-time MLB record for combined strikeouts in a game was actually cemented less than a month ago, when the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees combined for 48 in an 18-inning Interleague game. The Cubs share the dubious feat of having struck out 26 times in one game.