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Baseball 2012: The game's best off-beat, under-the-radar statistics and trivia

Fascinating baseball firsts and notable statistics can easily be missed in the playing of more than 2,000 big-league games each year. Here are the most intriguing developments that possibly escaped your notice.

10. Righty on a roll

Jason Getz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP
Atlanta Braves starter Kris Medlen, right, waves to fans after pitching a complete game giving up one run in the Braves 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012, in Atlanta. He gave up a run and broke his scoreless innings pitched streak. Medlen had 12 strikeouts in the win.

  • By Ross Atkin Staff writer

The Atlanta Braves won a big-league record 23 straight times when Kris Medlen was the team’s starting pitcher.

Backstory: This record may have gotten lost in the shuffle amid all the no-hitters and perfect games turned in during the 2012 regular season.  It deserves attention, however, since what Medlen and the Braves accomplished on Sept. 30 has never been done in the major leagues. Until then, only two other teams won 22 straight games with the same starting pitcher – the Giants with Carl Hubbell in 1936 and 1937, and the Yankees with Whitey Ford between 1950 and 1953. 

The Braves won their record-breaking 23rd straight game with Medlen as the starter on Sunday, with a 6-2 victory over the Mets. During the streak, the right-hander from Artesia, Calif., was 14-0 with a .2.38 earned-run average. He was named National League Pitcher of the Month for both August and September.

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Mark Sappenfield
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