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Marco Estrada throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during first inning interleague baseball action in Toronto on Tuesday June 21 , 2016.Eduardo Lima/The Canadian Press

It was a night for the record books for Marco Estrada, the soft-spoken Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher.

And it was also something he was struggling to enjoy, considering the end result for his team.

Estrada went out and allowed three runs off just two hits over six innings of work while striking out eight against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

But Estrada still walked off the field the loser as the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite getting out-hit by an 8-3 margin, made the most of their chances in a 4-2 victory.

Despite the setback, Estrada became the first player in Major League Baseball history (since the mound was set at 60-feet, 6 inches in 1893) to hold opponents to five hits or fewer and record six-plus innings for 11 consecutive starts.

That is a mouthful of a record to have to recall but still an impressive accomplishment for a 32-year-old who is not exactly a household name around the league.

"Pretty impressive," came the succinct comment from Toronto manager John Gibbons when he learned of Estrada's record.

Estrada is obviously proud of the record, but he was in no mood to be jumping around in celebration after the Blue Jays went down in defeat the way they did.

"Shoot, there's been a lot of great pitchers in this game," he said. "And for something like that to happen, obviously very excited, very happy for it.

"But it's kind of a bittersweet moment right now. We lost. There's really nothing to cheer for."

Estrada also had other concerns such as a sore back that worsened as the game went on and the reason why Gibbons pulled him when he did after six innings where the Arizona lead was 3-2.

"His back flared up on him a little bit," Gibbons said. "He's been battling that a little bit and it kind of tightened up a little bit more. Figured better get him out of there, we don't want any problems."

The problem is a bit disconcerting to the Blue Jays as Estrada battled through back issues during spring training that landed him on the disabled list to start the regular season.

He has since fought his way back to become, arguably, Toronto's best starter so far this season, his record now 5-3 on the year with a 2.70 earned run average.

Estrada said he reinjured the game taking some swings with the bat to prepare for interleague play.

"I should have known better," Estrada said, somewhat sheepishly.

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