It was important to Eric Lauer that he not allow a certain stretch of futility continue.
No, not that one.
Thursday’s 4-3 victory over the Pirates was the 8,020th game of Padres baseball without a no-hitter, setting a record for the longest any team has gone with no no-no.
That’s some history.
A run far more pertinent to the current team’s success and well-being is what concerns Lauer.
And while he could not get through six innings for the sixth straight start, he did everything he could to persevere through the kind of difficulty that had stymied him before.