Yankees' Pineda records 16 strikeouts in dominant outing vs. Orioles

Michael Pineda had a day to remember.

The New York Yankees starter had all his pitches going as he struck out a career-high 16 batters through seven innings in a 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

It didn't take long for Pineda to settle down, as seven of his first nine outs came by way of strikeout.

"In the fourth inning, I finally go, 'Oh, this is going to be good,'" Pineda said to reporters after the game.

In the process, he overtook Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer as the American League strikeout leader with 54 punch outs, but that's the least important achievement on his historic day.

Pineda became the 22nd pitcher in MLB history and the first Yankees pitcher to strikeout 16 batters in a single game without walking a batter.

The previous club record for a zero-walks game belonged to Mike Mussina, who struck out 13 batters twice in September 2001.

He also joined David Wells and David Cone for the second most strikeouts in a game by a Yankees pitcher. The top honor belongs to Ron Guidry, who punched out 18 in 1978.

For Yankees skipper Joe Girardi, who caught Wells and Cone when they achieved the feat in 1997, he can't remember the last time he saw his starter so dialed in.

"That's as good as we've seen," Girardi said. "He recorded 21 outs and 16 of 'em strikeouts."

Sunday's performance epitomized just how fluid Pineda's been through six starts this season, forcing him into the conversation as arguably one of the best starters in the AL.

What's made him successful this season hasn't been his devastating stuff on the mound, but instead, his ability to throw strikes and still get batters to miss, signified by giving up three walks all season.