Morrow just misses no hitter for Blue Jays
On Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays scored a season-high 17 runs. On Sunday, they scored one, but it was enough to knock the Devil Rays down for the third game in a three-game series thanks to a near no-hitter by Brandon Morrow. Morrow, who lost his no-no with two outs in the ninth inning, also struck out 17, a career high.
The year 2010 has been filled with no-hitters and near no-hitters. There have been five no-nos so far (the record for a season is seven), including two perfect games and another perfect game that should be in the record books with an asterisk next to it (due to an clear error by the umpire on the final out).
Morrow walked to the mound in the ninth inning to a standing ovation from the Toronto crowd who knew he needed just three outs to enter the record books. He got Jason Bartlett to fly out to center field, then allowed a base-on-balls to Ben Zobrist, but got Carl Crawford to line out to left. Evan Longoria came to the plate and looked a little shaky, but smacked a pitch toward the hole between first and second base. Aaron Hill raced to his left and lunged at the ball, getting his glove on it but only redirecting it to the outfield for what was ruled a single.
Morrow slumped, dejected, but remembered that a runner was racing to third base and that his lead was only a single run. He pulled himself together and backed up the play at third, then returned to the mound to face the next batter. Cito Gaston visited the mound, but never considered removing his starter. Morrow then buckled down to take down Dan Johnson with a high fastball for his 17th K of the start.
The Devil Rays had taken first place from the Yankees last week, but have since lost five straight and fell two games behind the Yankees with the Yankees to play later in the evening.
Morrow would have been the second Blue Jay to ever throw a no-hitter. The only previous pitcher to do so was Dave Stieb who did so on September 2, 1990 in a 2-0 win over Cleveland. The record for Major League no-hitters in a season is seven in the 1991 season. Only 268 have been thrown in Major League Baseball history since 1875, an average of about two per year.
No hitters in 2010
American League
July 26 – Matt Garza, Tampa Bay vs. Detroit, 5-0
May 9 – Dallas Braden, Oakland vs. Tampa Bay, 4-0 (perfect game)
National League
June 26 – Edwin Jackson, Arizona at Tampa Bay, 1-0
May 29 – Roy Halladay, Philadelphia at Florida, 1-0 (perfect game_
April 17 – Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado at Atlanta, 4-0
Tags: