Francisco Liriano’s no-hitter was certainly not aesthetically beautiful nor will it go down as one of the most dominating pitching performances of all time.
The unexpected gem was, however, historic. The struggling Twins lefty entered the game with a bulbous 9.13 ERA in five starts this year and a total of zero complete games to his name during his professional career.
He was on the receiving end of some stellar defense and at least one Jim Joyce-like blown call at first base. He struggled with his control, walking six while striking out just two. And he did it against the floundering White Sox, a last-place team who not so long ago struggled to hit the very hittable Brad Penny in Detroit, among numerous other weak offensive performances.
That last point has some wondering aloud this morning if, all things considered, Liriano’s no-hitter was that impressive.
My answer?
Hell yes!
First off, let’s look at the numbers. It was Minnesota’s first no-hitter since 1999 and the first thrown against the Sox in 20 years. That’s over 3,200 games. Not so easy.
Perhaps the spate of pitching gems last year has skewed public perception about just how often feats like this are accomplished. In the long history of Major League Baseball, there have been 270 hitless games. That’s over a stretch of 135 seasons, an average of exactly two per year.
They aren’t exactly unremarkable. In fact, last decade saw a span of two-plus calendar years between no-hitters.
Secondly, do you really think we have a fair idea of what kind of team the Sox are at this point? Optimistic or not, writing a team off after 31 games of a 162-game season is silly. Doubly so for a team many experts forecast to contend, if not win the division crown.
In addition to the physical demands, tossing a no-no is one of sports’ biggest mental challenges. Despite the oft-used company line that the pitcher “didn’t think about it,” common sense would indicate the final frames are filled with can’t-afford-to-let-up-for-one-second tension.
Pitchers toying with perfection don’t have the luxury to take one pitch off. They have to be consistently locked in, both mentally and physically, all the while knowing that one minute mistake will likely cut short their historic bids. The fact that Liriano pitched the crucial innings holding a one-run lead only makes it more impressive. Both the bid and the game were hanging on every throw.
Lastly, there is no better way to highlight just how special a no-hitter can be than its ability to turn a meaningless regular-season game into an immortal contest. Mark Buehrle’s rain-soaked no-no against Texas will forever be remembered. So too will Carlos Zambrano’s gem in Milwaukee against the Houston Astros.
Yes, the fact that the Sox had a .250 on-base percentage for the game is hard to ignore. And it should be taken into consideration when weighing this against the other no-hitters in history. But, by very definition, the accomplishment is impressive and newsworthy.
You can make cheap jokes about how it doesn’t really count until you’re blue in the face, but there’s nothing cheap about that big, fat zero in the box score.
The unexpected gem was, however, historic. The struggling Twins lefty entered the game with a bulbous 9.13 ERA in five starts this year and a total of zero complete games to his name during his professional career.
He was on the receiving end of some stellar defense and at least one Jim Joyce-like blown call at first base. He struggled with his control, walking six while striking out just two. And he did it against the floundering White Sox, a last-place team who not so long ago struggled to hit the very hittable Brad Penny in Detroit, among numerous other weak offensive performances.
That last point has some wondering aloud this morning if, all things considered, Liriano’s no-hitter was that impressive.
My answer?
Hell yes!
First off, let’s look at the numbers. It was Minnesota’s first no-hitter since 1999 and the first thrown against the Sox in 20 years. That’s over 3,200 games. Not so easy.
Perhaps the spate of pitching gems last year has skewed public perception about just how often feats like this are accomplished. In the long history of Major League Baseball, there have been 270 hitless games. That’s over a stretch of 135 seasons, an average of exactly two per year.
They aren’t exactly unremarkable. In fact, last decade saw a span of two-plus calendar years between no-hitters.
Secondly, do you really think we have a fair idea of what kind of team the Sox are at this point? Optimistic or not, writing a team off after 31 games of a 162-game season is silly. Doubly so for a team many experts forecast to contend, if not win the division crown.
In addition to the physical demands, tossing a no-no is one of sports’ biggest mental challenges. Despite the oft-used company line that the pitcher “didn’t think about it,” common sense would indicate the final frames are filled with can’t-afford-to-let-up-for-one-second tension.
Pitchers toying with perfection don’t have the luxury to take one pitch off. They have to be consistently locked in, both mentally and physically, all the while knowing that one minute mistake will likely cut short their historic bids. The fact that Liriano pitched the crucial innings holding a one-run lead only makes it more impressive. Both the bid and the game were hanging on every throw.
Lastly, there is no better way to highlight just how special a no-hitter can be than its ability to turn a meaningless regular-season game into an immortal contest. Mark Buehrle’s rain-soaked no-no against Texas will forever be remembered. So too will Carlos Zambrano’s gem in Milwaukee against the Houston Astros.
Yes, the fact that the Sox had a .250 on-base percentage for the game is hard to ignore. And it should be taken into consideration when weighing this against the other no-hitters in history. But, by very definition, the accomplishment is impressive and newsworthy.
