*Photo from the Boston Globe*
One thing we learned today is that even though you may throw a no hitter, you don't always win. Jose Quintana starred, Rodolfo Castro scored the run, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds with a 1-0 victory on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.
This game was a pitchers duel, with the Reds pitching working on a no hitter in the 8th inning. That inning, one run scored, but it was off a fielders choice, not a hit, thus keeping the no hitter intact, but the Reds trailed. They couldn't score in the 9th inning, sealing their fate on a wacky side of history.
Pirates infielder Josh VanMeter said of the accomplishment of the Pirates that "I’ve been no-hit before. To win takes the sting away a little bit. It’s a heck of a situation. As long as we win, it doesn’t really matter. In the game of baseball, it seems like you see something new every day."
Although the Reds didn't officially throw a no hitter because they didn't pitch 9 innings, they lost a game after throwing a no hitter. The last time a team lost despite throwing a no hitter came in 2008, when the Los Angeles Angels lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers despite holding them hitless. The Pirates become the 6th team in the majors since 1901 to be no-hit but still won the game.
The game's only run came in that 8th inning. The Pirates took the 1-0 lead when Ke'Bryan Hayes grounded into a fielders choice with the bases loaded. Ben Gamel was out at second, but Hayes beat out the throw at first, continuing the inning and scoring Castro, which gave the Pirates the wonky victory in this one.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of the weird win that "Winning a Major League game is really hard. Something I appreciate everytime we do it. We'll take the win. Sometimes they don't look the same, but they all count the same. I'll take it."
Chris Stratton picked up the deciding win for the Pirates, delivering a scoreless 8th inning out of the bullpen, improving to 2-1 on the season. Quintana was the starter and got a no decision, throwing 7 shutout innings while allowing just 3 hits and one walk, striking out 5 hitters. David Bednar got the save with a clean 9th inning.
The heralded prospect for the Reds, Hunter Greene got the start, pitching fabulously but still getting the loss. He fell to 1-6 this season, pitching 7 1/3 no hit innings, striking out 9 hitters while issuing 5 walks. Art Warren threw the final 2/3 of an inning, keeping the no hitter intact.
Greene said of his game that "I’m very confident in myself. It’s hard on the mental side not to let your mind drift to that accolade. I think you’ve got to embrace all the thoughts and emotions in that moment and just go out there and have fun. Hopefully, I’m going to have a lot more opportunities for that. I’m looking forward to that."
Up next, the Pirates head up to the windy city to face the Chicago Cubs on Monday night, with Bryse Wilson to get the start. The Reds head to Cleveland to face the Guardians beginning on Tuesday night, with Connor Overton the likely starter.
Comments
Post a Comment