TBNL: Epic losing streaks, collegiate no-hitters, and an almost perfect game in Korea

Epic losing streaks go head-to-head

A small field in northern New Jersey hosted some college baseball history on Tuesday. MLB.com’s Michael Clair sets the scene best:

99 consecutive losses versus 42 consecutive losses. Playing a doubleheader on a neutral site (due to excessive wind and rain the days prior) in near-freezing weather.

Clair relays all of the details — he was in attendance for the five-hour affair — but Lehman won the first game in extra innings, 7-6, before Yeshiva took the second game, 9-5. Both remarkable streaks came to an end in one day.

Volunteers combine for second no-hitter in two months

Tennesee left-hander Liam Doyle has been steadily climbing draft rankings since the start of the collegiate season despite his unusually fastball-heavy approach (he relies on the pitch nearly 70% of the time). Doyle is leading all of NCAA baseball in strikeouts on the season with 81 after his latest outing.

Doyle worked six innings for the Volunteers on Friday against Texas A&M, striking out eight while not allowing a hit.

Doyle worked 5.1 IP for the Vols just over a month ago against St. Bonaventure, striking out 13 without allowing a hit.

The Volunteers’ bullpen came in to close out each game without allowing a hit in either case. Two combined no-hitters in just over a month, both started by Doyle, after the school had failed to throw one at all since 2002. Pretty remarkable.

Former Angels lefty dominates KBO’s best

Former Angels left-hander Kenny Rosenberg was one of many players to head overseas this offseason, signing with the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. Teams in Korea are permitted to roster up to three foreign-born players on the active roster and most clubs elect to use two on pitchers. The Heroes are the only one with a single foreign arm in the rotation.

Rosenberg got the ball for the Heroes on Opening Day and made his fourth start of the year on Wednesday. It proved to be the best outing of his pro career.

The 29-year-old worked eight shutout innings, allowing four hits, a pair of walks, and striking out 13 — one shy of the Kiwoom franchise record. Rosenberg held the KBO-leading LG Twins (holders of the league’s best record, highest batting average and OPS, and highest scoring offense) completely off the bases until the sixth inning.

Kiwoom won the game, 4-0.

Rosenberg had worked just 67.2 IP with the Angels over the last three seasons (17 appearances, 5 starts) with a 4.66 ERA (93 ERA+).

Elsewhere, around the sport …

• Barely 24 hours after revealing that Victor Robles would miss three months with a fractured shoulder, the Mariners lost second baseman Ryan Bliss to a torn bicep. Bliss evidently caused the tear on a swing during Tuesday’s game and likely is facing a prolonged absence.

• The Braves took on $3M in Tuesday’s trade with Houston for Rafael Montero. While not an exorbitant sum (Montero is due $11.5M this year), it still feels like an odd move for Atlanta.

• Speaking of Houston, the team reached an agreement in the offseason to change the name of their home ballpark to Daikin Park. The Minute Maid Field signage was subsequently taken down and much of it has now appeared available via MLB Auctions from the team. The main Minute Maid sign was broken into two-letter segments, for instance, with bidding starting at $500 each.

• The finalized pool alignment and schedule for next March’s World Baseball Classic have been released. The first games will be played on March 5 in Tokyo.