In 1964 Doug Flutie Jersey , Boston reliever Dick Radatz struck out 181 batters in 79 relief appearances, setting a mark that still stands.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, it’s the most strikeouts in one year for a pitcher with zero starts.

Relievers were used differently back then – Radatz threw 157 innings while setting his record – but even in today’s more specialized environment, Milwaukee’s Josh Hader has a chance to finish the season with a staggering strikeout total. He already has 80 in 39 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old left-hander also has six saves and a 1.13 ERA in 25 games, part of a bullpen that has led the Brewers to the National League’s best record.

The Brewers won 86 games last season and fell a game short of the second wild card. Now they have a two-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Milwaukee’s offense is just seventh in the league in OPS, and its starters have an ordinary ERA of 3.98. It’s the relievers who have led this charge.

Closer Corey Knebel missed time with a hamstring injury, but the Brewers have shown plenty of depth in the bullpen. Three regular relievers have ERAs under 2.00 – Hader, Jeremy Jeffress (1.19) and Jacob Barnes (1.78). Milwaukee has had an NL-high 28 games decided by one run, and the Brewers have gone 18-10.

Hader was a starter as recently as last year in the minors, but with the Brewers he’s pitched exclusively in relief. He had 68 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings for Milwaukee last season, and he’s already surpassed that strikeout total in 2018.

If he can’t make it to Radatz’s mark, perhaps Hader can threaten the record for most strikeouts in 100 innings or fewer. Brad Lidge set that one in 2004 with 157.

Other developments from around the majors:

PULLING AWAY

The Cleveland Indians have had their issues this season, but a forgiving AL Central gave them plenty of time to work out their problems. After a three-game sweep of second-place Detroit John Sullivan Jersey , Cleveland is now eight games ahead in the division. The Indians outscored the Tigers 26-3 in the weekend series, and Cleveland has won seven games in a row.

The Indians (43-33) actually have a better record now than they did after 76 games last season. They were 40-36 then, but went on a tear in the second half to finish with 102 wins.

HIGHLIGHT

Tampa Bay shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was prepared for one of the quirks of his home ballpark Sunday. Clint Frazier of the Yankees hit a drive in the ninth inning that looked headed deep to left field, but the ball hit a speaker hanging from an overhead catwalk and caromed back down in shallow left. Hechavarria stayed with the play and made the catch for an out. The Rays went on to win 7-6 in 12 innings.

LINES OF THE WEEK

The Red Sox outslugged Seattle 14-10 on Friday night at Fenway Park. J.D. Martinez led the hosts, going 4 for 5 with a homer, five RBIs and three runs. Martinez now leads the majors with 60 RBIs and is tied for the lead with 23 homers.

Nelson Cruz also had a night to remember Friday in a losing effort. He went 4 for 5 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

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Jrue Holiday’s postseason production is providing Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis with a more comfortable margin for error – and has left Portland with precious little.

Holiday’s 54 points, 16 assists and slew of defensive successes in the first two games are big reasons why the sixth-seeded Pelicans hold a surprising 2-0 series lead over the third-seeded Trail Blazers as they prepare for Game 3 Thursday night in New Orleans.

”Playoff Jrue, I guess,” Davis quipped after Holiday scored 33 – including a late, deep 3-pointer – in the Pelicans’ Game 2 triumph in Portland on Tuesday night. ”He’s in a different mode.”

Philadelphia visits Miami in one of two other Game 3s on Thursday night, while the Spurs’ return to San Antonio after a pair of double-digit losses at defending champion Golden State.

Pelicans general manager Dell Demps bet big on Holiday on the first day of free agency last summer, giving the 27-year-old guard a five-year contract worth about $126 million. But if the postseason is where players really earn their money, then the Pelicans’ Holiday spending could very well be worth it.

Holiday helped preserve New Orleans’ Game 1 victory with a leaping steal in transition during the final minutes Damien Wilson Jersey , followed by a block in the final seconds. Those plays were prime examples of why Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry has asserted Holiday is one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

”We ask him to guard the best perimeter player and we ask him to do it while we’re also wanting him to get 20 points,” Gentry said, noting that Holiday has had to take turns guarding both members of Portland’s prolific starting backcourt, guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

”He can get to the basket against just about anybody that there is. His outside shot has really improved,” Gentry added. ”He’s very confident in what he’s doing and the way he’s playing.”

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TRAIL BLAZERS AT PELICANS

New Orleans leads 2-0. Game 3, 9 P.M., NBA TV.

NEED TO KNOW: The Pelicans were no better at home (24-17) during the regular season than on the road (24-17), which gives Portland hope. ”We’ve won on their floor before and we feel like we’re capable of doing the same thing they did to us,” Portland’s Lillard said. However, the atmosphere could be different for New Orleans’ first home playoff game since 2015.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Pelicans guard Rajon Rondo , who had 17 assists in Game 1 and was one assist shy of a triple-double in Game 2.

INJURY UPDATE: Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic was limited to only 15 minutes in Game 2 because of a left leg contusion, while forward Evan Turner is questionable with a right toe contusion. Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic twisted his right ankle late in Game 2. He has not been scratched, but his effectiveness remains to be seen.

PRESSURE IS ON: Portland guards Lillard and McCollum Zay Jones Jersey , who have been inconsistent in the series and will be desperate to prevent the Blazers from falling into a 0-3 hole. ”We don’t want to be in this position … but it should be fun and we should accept that challenge,” Lillard said. ”If not, it could be a quick series.”

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76ERS AT HEAT

Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 7 p.m., TNT.

NEED TO KNOW: The 76ers say All-Star center Joel Embiid, who has missed 10 games with a broken orbital bone, is doubtful. The Heat ended Philadelphia’s franchise-record 17-game winning streak Monday, winning with physical defense. To further ratchet up tension, some 76ers were miffed by Miami’s Goran Dragic’s late layup to pad the Heat’s 113-103 victory.

KEEP AN EYE ON: The 76ers’ shooting and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade. Philadelphia shot 18 for 28 from 3-point range in Game 1, but just 7 for 36 in Game 2. Wade had 28 points in 26 minutes in Game 2 , but at age 36, there’s no guarantee he’ll consistently summon that sort of performance. ”I’m not worried about encores,” Wade said. ”Right now it’s just about being a leader and giving this team what they need on different nights.”

INJURY UPDATE: Embiid practiced Tuesday and Wednesday Cameron Artis-Payne Jersey , but regaining his rhythm on offense could take longer, coach Brett Brown said. After Monday’s loss, Embiid lobbied to get back in the lineup, writing on Instagram that he was ”sick and tired of being babied.” The return of the 76ers’ leading scorer and rebounder would mark a renewal of his rivalry with Miami’s Hassan Whiteside. They’ve feuded on social media this season.

PRESSURE IS ON: Heat president Pat Riley always says a playoff series doesn’t really begin until the road team wins a game. As of Monday, this series has begun, with Miami putting the heat on the Sixers, who are in the postseason for the first time since 2012.

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WARRIORS AT SPURS

Golden State leads 2-0. Game 3, 9:30 p.m., TNT.

NEED TO KNOW: San Antonio is 30-8 at home this season, but coach Gregg Popovich stressed playing on the road isn’t why the Spurs dropped the first two games. San Antonio is shooting 26 percent on 3-pointers in the series after averaging 35 percent during the regular season. San Antonio was 4 for 28 on 3s in Game 2. ”We know it’s just like hitting in baseball – the ability to make shots,” Popovich said. ”I’m more concerned about the nuts and bolts of the game and the attitude and the fiber and the grunt and all that sort of thing.”

KEEP AN EYE ON: The Warriors’ Klay Thompson. The 6-foot-7 guard is leading Golden State in play Omari Spellman Jersey ,