Orel Hershiser began his scoreless streak 25 years ago

On Aug. 30, 1988, 25 years ago Friday, Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser led the Dodgers to a 4-2 win against the Expos in Montreal. The win was the fifth straight for the Dodgers, who won 12 of their last 15 games and held a 6½-game lead over the Astros in the National League West.

Hershiser helped himself to an early 3-0 lead with a two-run double against Brian Holman in the second inning. The lead swelled to 4-0 by the fifth inning, when hits by Rex Hudler, Tim Raines and Dennis Martinez plated two runs for the Expos.

Hershiser walked Tom Foley in the sixth inning, allowed a single to Wallace Johnson in the seventh and walked Andres Galarraga in the eighth inning. But none of those runners reached second base as Hershiser preserved the victory for the Dodgers, their sixth consecutive win over the Expos. Hershiser had a season-high nine strikeouts in the win.

It was Hershiser's third consecutive complete game and 10th of the season. He improved his record to 18-8 with a 2.84 ERA, a mark behind rotation mates Tim Leary (2.44) and the recently acquired John Tudor (2.37). But Hershiser had his sights set higher.

"I'll be very satisfied if I get 20," Hershiser told Sam McManis of the Los Angeles Times. "But I'm not going to stop there and say, 'See you in the playoffs.' I've got a shot to win 24 (games), and it'll help the team if I do."

Hershiser didn't know it at the time; nobody did — and how could anyone with Hershiser's scoreless inning streak only at four? — but those fifth inning runs in Montreal were the final runs he would allow in the regular season.

This was the start of his record streak of 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Through his start in Montreal, here were Hershiser's numbers during his scoreless streak: