Yu almost had it

If someone had asked me before the season started who I thought would be the first pitcher to toss a no-hitter this season, without hesitating, I would've said Texas' Yu Darvish. After retiring the first 26 batters he faced last season when pitching against the Houston Astros back on April 2, Texas' ace Yu Darvish watched out no. 27 go right between his legs into center field for a hit, erasing what would've been the 23rd perfect game in MLB history. Despite the disappointment that he had to have felt coming oh so close to making history, there he stood with a smile on his face after flirting with a perfect game. Though he would fail to etch his name into the record books and reach baseball immortality on this night, Darvish, who has more than lived up to the hype since transitioning his game from Japan to the Major League's just two seasons ago, has established himself among the top pitchers in the game today. 

And on Friday night, the Japanese All-Star was once again on top of his game and appeared to be on his way to pitching a game for the ages in Arlington. From the first inning on, Darvish was hitting his target and had several pitches working for him which would spell doom for the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox who would have their work cut out for them. At one point in the game, Darvish hit a streak of six consecutive strikeouts before eventually finishing the game with 12 K's, while retiring the first 20 batters he faced. And then what appeared to be a harmless fly ball to shallow right field off the bat of Big Papi David Ortiz, fell in between second baseman Rougned Odor and outfielder Alex Rios as both players looked at one another thinking the other one was going to make the catch. Darvish would catch a break, however, as the call would be ruled an error by the official scorer. A rare call given the ball failed to touch either player. Rios would be the one changed with the error, one any teammate would be willing to sacrifice if it meant their pitcher still had a chance at making history. 

Though the error wouldn't break Darvish completely, it would have an effect on how he pitched the rest of the game as he went on to walk two of the next three batters he faced. But even then, the 27-year old hurler still had a no-hit bid in tact. That was until he reached the dreaded ninth inning. With 26 outs recorded and a goose egg in the hit column for the Red Sox, Ortiz came up one last time as the only batter standing in the way of Darvish and his no-hitter. But even with the shift on, playing Ortiz to pull, Big Papi who just innings earlier was the cause of an error that wiped out any chance of a perfect game, snuck a ground ball single in between the second baseman and shortstop on the 126th pitch on the night by Darvish who came just one out shy of a no-hitter for the second time in as many seasons. It would be the final batter of the night for Yu who was pulled by skipper Ron Washington and received a thunderous ovation by the 45,000+ in attendance who stood and applauded Darvish's masterful performance. For the second time after nearly making history, Darvish would be forced to watch another man record that 27th out that he came so close to recording as Rangers reliever Alexi Ogando retired the next batter, sealing Texas' 8-0 win and leaving Darvish still seeking his first complete-game.

Darvish joins hurler Dave Stieb as the only pitchers to have multiple no-hit bids broken up with 2-outs in the ninth inning. Stieb had it happen three times while a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, including twice in back to back starts in 1988. With the season still young and plenty of starts left in the promising career of Yu Darvish, I've got a feeling the third time will be a charm. 


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Mr. Perfect

With a major contribution in helping the Giants claim their first ever Word Series title in 2010 since the ball club moved from New York to San Francisco in 1956, there's been little that starting pitcher Matt Cain and the Giants have been yet to accomplish in the franchise's rich 100+ year history. But a little more than two months after signing the right-handed workhorse to a blockbuster 5-year, $112.5 Million deal, the 27-year old pitcher rewarded the franchise with something they've never seen before. Though the ball club has been on the giving end of 14 no-hitters which is tied for the fourth most by a team in MLB history, never before has there been a player to throw a perfect game while donning the orange and black. But on June 13, not only would Cain register a perfecto, but he would also toss one of the most dominant pitching performances the game of baseball has ever seen. 

With three career one-hitters under his belt including one earlier this season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Giants fans knew if anyone on the current roster had the stuff to throw a perfect game it was Matt Cain. And in front of a sellout crowd at San Francisco's AT&T Park against the Houston Astros, Cain would do just that. Facing the minimum of 27 batters and preventing the Astros from getting a single man on base, Cain notched just the 22nd perfect game in MLB history. And though the 2012 season was already treated to a perfecto thanks to Chicago's Phillip Humber, to say Cain's feat was better would be an understatement. Proving just how dominant he was, Cain didn't fall behind to a single 2-0 count all game long. Even more impressive was that he fanned a career-high 14 Houston hitters. Half of Cain's punch outs coming by way of the swinging variety while the other half struck out looking. The 14-strikeouts was also the most K's ever in a perfect game, tying the mark set by Sandy Koufax of the arch-rival Dodgers who struck out 14 Chicago Cubs in 1965. Not to be overlooked was the stellar game called by Cain's battery mate Buster Posey and outfielder Gregor Blanco who's diving grab in the seventh inning to preserve the gem was arguably the best catch we've seen from a Giant in recent years.

Notoriously known for being on the receiving end of poor run support for a majority of his career in the big leagues which has translated to a poor and undeserving win-loss record for Cain, Giants hitters would have no trouble getting runs on the board this time around as they set a record for the most runs of support in a perfect game by tacking on 10-runs. Ironically, the game was also the win that put Matt Cain over the .500 mark in his career (76-75), a mark that Giants fans should only see expand from here on. Having been one of the most underrated and under appreciated pitchers in the game today while in the shadow of teammate and 2-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum for the greater part of the last few seasons despite logging a number of productive years of his own including two All-Star campaigns in 2009 and 2011, Cain's recent domination coupled with Lincecum's struggles this season just might help Cain solidify himself as the ace of the Giants pitching staff moving forward. 

On pitch no. 125, Cain would get the pinch-hitting Jason Castro to hit a ground ball to third baseman Joaquin Arias who off balanced rifled a strike to the first baseman Brandon Belt for the 27th out of the ball game. Sticking the ball in his back pocket, Belt then raised his arms before joining the rest of his teammates in mobbing Cain on the pitchers mound as the team celebrated in a similar way they did just two years ago when winning the World Series, showering the man of the hour with cans of beer. The coolest part, however, was that Matt's wife Chelsea stood and watched from the stands before greeting and congratulating him first hand near the Giants dugout.

For Giants and baseball fans alike, this will be one of those games/events that we tell our children and grandchildren that we had the privilege to watch. At least I will. 


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Humber, Weaver hurling History

27 Up, 27 Down - Though we're still in the early stages of the 2012 MLB season only a month in, there's been no shortage of excitement as we've seen not one, but two of the game's more remarkable achievements already. Unless you're a fan of the New York Mets who selected him out of Rice University with the third overall pick in the 2004 Draft or one of the teams he bounced around with before eventually landing in the south side of Chicago where he's fit nicely as the no. 5 starter, it's unlikely you've heard the name Philip Humber more than once or twice if at all. At least that was the case until Saturday April 21 when Humber pitched his way into the history books by throwing the 21st perfect game in MLB history. Needing only 96 pitches, Humber struck out 9 batters while tossing the third perfect game in White Sox franchise history (19th no-hitter) by blanking the Seattle Mariners in their own home of Safeco Field by a final score of 4-0.

After a successful college career, Humber was thought to be one of the bright up and coming talents in the game. But some early struggles at the Minor League level coupled with Tommy John surgery would keep him on the shelf for awhile, forcing him to claw and fight his way back onto a big league roster. It wasn't until January of 2011 when Humber was given another chance after being claimed off waivers by Chicago where he found pitching coach Don Cooper. The two gelled immediately and worked on a few adjustments in Humber's pitching mechanics which proved to be vital in the right-hander's turnaround, helping the 29 year old Humber log a 9-9 win-loss record and a 3.75 ERA in 26 starts last season, his first full year in the majors.

Having gone the first eight frames without allowing a single three-ball count, it seemed almost inevitable that Humber would complete the feat without the fear of walking a single batter. However, Humber's bid for a perfecto was threatened not once, but twice in the ninth inning when Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders drew threw consecutive balls before eventually striking out to lead off the inning. It was then that you almost knew the Baseball Gods wouldn't let anything tarnish Humber's gem. And after the pinch-hitting John Jaso flew out to right field, it was all up to Mariners shortstop Brendan Ryan who stepped up to the plate and worked the count full. The final pitch would also be the most controversial as Humber challenged Ryan with a slider that bounced into the dirt. Ryan attempted to check his swing, but swung just enough to convince home plate umpire Brian Runge that he went around. Instead of running to first, Ryan argued the call, allowing White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski to throw the ball to first for the final out.

After getting the 27th out, Humber's teammates poured from out of the dugout and raced in from the outfield to mob him on top of the mound where they celebrated his remarkable accomplishment before later receiving a congratulatory phone call from longtime fan of the White Sox, President Barack Obama.

Leave it to Weaver - Since the Angels' busy off-season which not only brought All-Star's Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson aboard, but also a ton of hype along with them, Halo fans have had little to cheer about after getting off to a poor 7-15 start prior to their series with the lowly Minnesota Twins. But a series sweep and a no-hitter could be the shot in the arm Angels manager Mike Socia and company have been looking for in hopes of getting the team back on track. And with Halos ace Jered Weaver on the mound, the team was able to accomplish both. Less than two weeks after 2012 saw its first no-hitter thrown by Chicago's Phil Humber which came in the form of a perfect game, Weaver got in on the fun by twirling a gem of his own.

With 27,288 fans in attendance and on their feet cheering on the Northridge, California native, many of which were friends and family of Weaver's, the 29-year old right-hander made history after getting Twins shorstop Alexi Castilla to fly-out to deep right field for the final out of the ballgame, sealing the no-hitter and romping Minnesota in the process, 9-0. Weaver's line included 9 K's and 1 BB on 121 pitches with his only blemishes coming in the form of a strikeout-passed ball by catcher Chris Iannetta and a 2-out walk in the 7th when Josh Willingham reached base safely. Obviously not as impressive, but dominant nonetheless was the Angels offense who's bats awoken to tie a season-high in runs with 9 and set a season-high in hits with 15. Both contributed to help complete the sweep of the Twins and get the Angels their first three-game winning-streak of the season.

Angels fans are no stranger to the no-no as they've seen 10 Halos accomplish the feat in the ball club's 51-year existence, one of those coming last year from Ervin Santana who tossed a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. Weaver almost joined that club several years ago when he and Angels reliever Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the cross-town rival Los Angeles Dodgers on the road through 8 innings, but still lost the game, 1-0, preventing him from etching his name into the record books much earlier. With both the hitting and pitching doing their part and finally coming alive it seems, could this be a springboard to get the Angels out of their last place funk and back into the division race? The way the Angels clubhouse celebrated Weaver's no-no, you would've thought they just won game 7 of the World Series, something many analysts and fans of baseball predicted they'd do this season.


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A Double Dip in History?

Florida's Get Rich Quick Scheme - Just 20 days after Oakland's Dallas Braden threw his magical Mother's Day masterpiece, one of the game's best put his name in the hat to become a potential future Hall of Famer. On the road against the Florida Marlins in Miami, Roy Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League history by taking a much different approach than that of Braden. While the Oakland A's southpaw earned his perfecto by mainly getting batters to pop up or fly out, Halladay owned the strike zone by compiling a total of 11 K's compared to Braden's 6. The former 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner for the Toronto Blue Jays added to his already lengthy resume which includes 6-All-Star appearances and 49-complete games. The only thing missing? A World Series ring.

With only half of the seats in Florida's Land Shark Stadium filled with fans to witness the remarkable feat, the Marlins are hoping to make money off of the fans that weren't in attendance. How so? Through the stadium's box office and website, the team will be reselling tickets to the game that featured Doc Halladay's no-hit performance which took place on Saturday May 29th. The cost? Tickets will be sold at face value from the cheap seats -- $12, to the field-level -- $25 and of coarse, those much closer to the action and behind home plate -- $300. As an amenity, they'll even count you in the game's official attendance. What better way to brag to all your buddies than lie to them and not only tell them you seen Roy Halladay's perfect game in person, but also have the proof of a ticket stub. Talk about the ultimate souvenir.

Keep in mind the Marlins are doing this despite their 1-0 loss and their own team being blanked. If it was a Marlins pitcher who threw the gem and not the opposing team's pitcher, it would be a little bit more understandable. If you asked me, I'd say it's sort of a cheesy strategy to profit money and would usually oppose the whole idea. But given it's the Florida Marlins, the team who's currently at the bottom of the NL in attendance and always seem to be struggling to fill seats regardless of how well or poorly they're playing, I can't knock their hustle. In fact, I encourage them to take similar action in the future. This isn't the first time this has been done however. After Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle pitched his perfect game last July, the team sold the remainder of the tickets as souvenirs. With two perfect games and one no-hitter already in the books this early on in the season, could this be proof of the post-steroid era?


The Perfecto Bandito - Considering there's never been a time in the modern era of Major League Baseball where two pitchers threw perfect games in a single season prior to Halladay's gem, how crazy would it be if there three in a single season? And if that's not crazy enough, how about all three of those perfect games taking place within a single month? Although the third never happened, it should have.

Bad calls have become somewhat symbolic in all of sports, but none as bad as those made or not made in baseball. One call in particular that will forever be remembered above all others is the one that took place most recently. Last Wednesday in a game against the visiting Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was just one out away from making the history books. That was until Indians rookie Jason Donald hit a ground ball to first baseman Miguel Cabrera who underhanded the ball to the covering Galarraga in what looked to be the 27th out of the ball game. However, first base umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe in what would go down in the history of bad calls. This wasn't just any other wrong call, instead it cost the right-handed Venezuelan born pitcher a perfect game.

Just how bad was the call you ask? After viewing the replay from the clubhouse, Joyce admitted his wrongdoing soon after. As for the man who was robbed of a spot in the record books, Galarraga was a class act about the whole thing and didn't complain or throw a fit like I know most pitchers would do nowadays. Although umpire Jim Joyce missed the call, commissioner Bud Selig had all the power in the world to overturn the mistake and decided not to. But I bet if it was a Brewer who pitched the gem, Selig would've thought otherwise considering he's a Milwaukee native and was once upon a time the owner of the Brew Crew. A day after the mess, Joyce was scheduled to serve as the home plate umpire where he received boo's from the Detroit crowd when being introduced over the stadium speakers. Tigers skipper Jim Leyland who argued the call that cost his pitcher a place in Cooperstown, had Galarraga hand Joyce the game's starting line-up. Joyce was then seen with tears running down his face as the two patted one another on the back and shook hands.

Even though he was robbed of becoming the 21st pitcher in Major League history to throw a perfecto, Galarraga didn't come out empty handed. Given Detroit is the Motor City, GMC honored the 28 year old pitcher and donated a 2010 Corvette. Days after discussion and reviewing the film, Commissioner Selig continued to stick to his guns and said he was pleased with how his decision to not honor Galarraga with a perfect game worked out. He went on to say expanded instant replay is unlikely this year if at all. The decision to not expand instant replay is something I actually agree with that has come from the brain of Bud Selig. As for the unlucky Jim Joyce, he's fortunate enough to keep his job in my opinion. He's also probably the most hated man in the Motor City now, dethroning the spot of Ron Artest who took place in the infamous 'Malice in the Palace'. Galarraga later forgave Joyce and called him a nice man. But although he's forgiven, I think someone better keep an eye on Mr. Joyce, he's definitely on suicide watch.