New Orleans strikeout records falling

In 2006, on May 5 (and part of May 6), New Orleans played 24 innings in Nashville in a game that would later be dubbed the "Music City Marathon," in which the Zephyrs established a Pacific Coast League record by striking out 29 batters in a game. If the Baby Cakes played 24 innings last night (and likely into this morning), the pace they were on would have put them at 50.
Instead, thanks to a 9-1 rout of the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the 'Cakes had to settle for the franchise's nine-inning record of 19 punch outs.
"That's 19 opportunities where we got an out without putting the ball in play," manager Keith Johnson said. "That's huge, there's less things that can go in a negative manner."
The 'Cakes secured their place in the New Orleans record books with a perfect storm. Elieser Hernandez got the first dozen strikeouts, tying another franchise record for strikeouts by a single pitcher in a game, also achieved this season by Hector Noesi on April 25. It was another dominant performance by Hernandez, who entered with Triple-A's best ERA, and had earned PCL Pitcher of the Week honors for no-hitting the same Dodgers club through six innings on May 6.
In his six innings last night, he again allowed only one hit: a slow dribbler that deflected off first baseman Matt Snyder into right field.
Riley Ferrell, a Rule V draft pick working his way back to the Marlins after a late-spring injury touted for his swing-and-miss capability, followed Hernandez by striking out side in the seventh.
With the franchise mark two strikeouts away in the eighth, the red-hot Jeff Brigham came into the game. He had not allowed a hit in his past six appearances, but after a fly out and a ground out, the odds were stacked against the record being broken. Brigham rebounded by fanning the final four hitters of the game, putting the trio in New Orleans history.
The game, however, was just a magnification of the trend the 'Cakes staff has been on all season. New Orleans pitchers are striking out 9.76 hitters per nine innings, third in the PCL. But the starting rotation has been the linchpin, working a higher percentage of team innings than any other club in the league, while simultaneously carrying the league's best strikeout ratio at 9.75.
The starters have six different games of at least 10 strikeouts: one by Noesi, two by Hernandez and three by Zac Gallen. Ben Meyer has topped out at eight strikeouts, but reached that mark in only 4 1/3 innings on April 8. Gallen leads the league with 74, Hernandez is next in line at 61, and Noesi is in third in 55.
New Orleans has 273 strikeouts from its rotation, 53 more than second-place Memphis. The group is on pace for 813 on the season, well above the 2017 Fresno Grizzlies' 770, the best mark in the league over the last 15 years.
And by the way, the rotation is also ranked first in the PCL in ERA, average against, and WHIP.
"It's fun to watch these guys perform," pitching coach Jeremy Powell said. "When you have five guys in the rotation that are all quietly trying to keep up with each other, that's a good thing. It's fun to see."