Valdez's 25 straight quality starts a new MLB single-season record: 'It is one of those things that will go down on your résumé'

Major League Baseball’s single-season record for consecutive quality starts became Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez’s to own on Sunday as the left-handed hurler recorded his 25th straight.

The feat – which surpassed the mark of 24 set by the New York Mets’ Jacob DeGrom in 2018 – was a huge part of the Astros’ 11-2 home victory over the Oakland Athletics.

A report on the team’s website said that Valdez worked six innings in which he gave up two runs on four hits.

“It means a lot to me and my career to get that record,” the 28-year-old southpaw said in the report. “It is one of those things that will go down on your résumé to get a record like that. It means a lot to me, my family and all my followers.”

According to the MLB.com glossary, a quality start is when a starting pitcher “pitches at least six innings and allows three earned runs or fewer.”

Per the Astros, Valdez nearly had the record slip away in the sixth when Oakland tacked on two runs, but he resorted to what made him one of the best members of one of MLB’s best rotations – the ground-ball – to stop the bleeding.

Third baseman Alex Bregman helped Valdez reach the milestone by taking on three ground-ball outs, the report said.

Valdez’s partner in the battery, catcher Martin Maldonado, himself had a day to remember, powering the offense with a four-for-four performance at the plate that translated into a home run (HR) and four runs batted in (RBI).

An Associated Press (AP) report that was ran by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU said that Valdez has compiled 16 wins and a 2.57 earned run average (ERA) through what’s considered an impressive season.

He and teammate Justin Verlander are the American League’s (AL) top two leaders in wins, with the latter leading the pack with 17.

The first AL team to punch their ticket to the postseason, the Astros could capture their fifth AL West title in six years on Monday.

Sports Illustrated (SI) reported that Houston needs either a Los Angeles Angels win over the Seattle Mariners or a victory of their own over the Tampa Bay Rays to have what the team hopes is the first of many champagne-soaked celebrations in the clubhouse.