Radke Quietly Goes On Run Of 12 Straight Victories

Drastic measures. That’s what Brad Radke is thinking about now.

Over the last two months, Radke has gone from a promising young starter with a habit of giving up too many home runs to an unbeatable ace who is challenging some of baseball’s oldest records.

He won his 12th consecutive start Monday night in the Minnesota Twins’ 9-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. That tied Scott Erickson’s 1991 team record for consecutive wins, and it moved Radke alongside Bob Gibson (1968) and Pat Dobson (1971) as the only pitchers since 1950 to win 12 straight starts.

Even though fans across the country are starting to pay attention, Radke still can walk virtually ignored down any street in the Twin Cities.

“I don’t mind,” he said, pausing to consider his anonymity.

“I don’t know, maybe I’ll shave my head or something.”

Don’t count on it.

Radke allows himself a little stubble on his boyish face on the days he pitches, but that’s about as radical as it gets for baseball’s hottest pitcher in a quarter-century.

On Monday, Radke (16-5) allowed the punchless Blue Jays five hits in seven innings. It wasn’t the sharpest outing of the streak. He matched a season high with three walks and needed 125 pitches, the most he has thrown this season. He also had a wild pitch and retired four hitters on line drives to left field.

But Radke still didn’t allow an earned run, giving up only Alex Gonzalez’s two-out double in the seventh after an error by shortstop Pat Meares. The performance lowered Radke’s ERA during the streak to 1.87.

He was as nonchalant as ever after the game but admitted the streak is starting to cause a few jitters.

“I felt a little more nervous when I started the first inning,” he said. “Maybe I am thinking about it a little more now.”

“I don’t know the kid that well, but he’s put something into it to make him a great pitcher,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said.