Justin Verlander threw the second no hitter of the year and the 7th in the past 12 months. He faced the minimum (27) after issuing an 8th inning walk and then inducing a double play groundout. With all due congratulations to Justin, who is absolutely filthy and could get another one before he retires, no-no’s have lost their cool over the last two years.
It seems like every day people are throwing no-no’s into the 6th. Remember Josh Johnson at the beginning of the year held no hit bids into the 6th in 4 consecutive starts? Jaimie Garcia was perfect through 8 on Friday night while Derek Lowe had a no hit bid into the 7th. The last 10 no hitters have come in a span of 20 months. The previous 10, spanned a little over 76 months. I just don’t get how so many no hitters are happening. Yes, it is the year of the pitcher but that is just some rhetoric made by media types to glorify the shift in the game. What gives?
I can tell you that of the last 10 no hitters, 8 of the guys have the ability to throw it up there 95+ mph. Are some pitchers just that much more dominant than the hitters right now? Is the mound too high (Pitchers’ elbows nationwide just took a gasp at that thought)? Is the zone too big? Realistically, I think its just one of those oddities. Tim Kurkjian always says that if you pay attention at a baseball game, you may see something you have never seen before. It must just be one of those things… all these no hitters. There’s something interesting I’ve been reading about and hope to post tomorrow about maximum bat diameter that should be a fun read as far as implications for the batter/pitcher battle.
Back to Verlander: He was really good as always. He had only 4 strikeouts, tied for his fewest this year. Interestingly the other time he had 4 strikeouts he also went 9.0 IP. Verlander hit 100 on the radar gun with his 106th pitch in the 9th. We know the guy has freakishly good stuff with one of the best curveballs in the game and a stupid 88 mph slider. Today, he had it all working. It seems to me there’s little the Blue Jays could do but tip their caps and go after the Tigers tomorrow.
If the early regular season is any indication for tomorrow, we will have another no hit bid by mid afternoon and Verlander’s nono will fade into the forgotten (along with Bud Smith’s in 2001).
Stat of the Day: In 1944, Red Barrett needed only 54 pitches to throw his complete game 2-hitter. Part 2: There have been 9 no hitters broken up in extra innings.
-Sean Morash
