KANSAS CITY -- Rick Porcello wasn't born yet when Dwight Gooden dominated as a teenager. For history's sake, that's good; if he was around then, he'd be too old to set the kind of standards he's reaching right now.
Gooden was so young when he broke into the big leagues that he won seven straight starts twice -- both in 1984 and '85 -- before he turned 21. Not once since then had anyone that age won more than four straight starts. Porcello's six solid innings in Wednesday's 8-3 Tigers win over the Royals got him to five after he lost three of his first four decisions to start the season.
The way Porcello's going, he could threaten Gooden's standard, though his next scheduled start comes next Tuesday against the Red Sox. Fernando Valenzuela's eight-game streak in 1981 isn't far off from there.
"I don't know about comparing him to anybody," shortstop Adam Everett said. "The biggest thing is whenever a guy comes out at second base, like Billy Butler, and says, 'Man, we really have to make this guy [pitch] up. He's nasty.' When you hear that, when you hear other guys say that, you know he's got something special. What I see, the way he makes guys miss, you know he can be something special if he stays healthy."
When the Royals hit Porcello, it was generally on the ground, allowing the defense behind him to make plays. When Jose Guillen swung and missed at a sinker with a runner on second and one out in the opening inning, everybody had to take a split-second and marvel.
"That was nasty," Everett said.
Porcello's historic run continues | tigers.com: News
Porcello's Historic Run Continues With Win
Porcello's Historic Run Continues With Win
Linear Mode
