Posnanski: Hard-luck losers
From SABR member Joe Posnanski at Medium.com on August 24, 2017:
Rich Hill did something remarkable on Wednesday night. Well, he actually did a lot of remarkable things — he threw nine no-hit innings and, was it not for Logan Forsythe misplaying a ground ball it would likely have been nine perfect innings.*
*We can not say FOR SURE that it would have been nine perfect innings because (1) Hill might have pitched differently with a perfect game on the line and (2) The next batter, Chris Stewart, would not have sacrifice bunted and so might have gotten a hit. Still, it probably would have been nine perfect innings.
He lost the game. He lost it because the Dodgers couldn’t score (a stunning thing for this all-world lineup) and because Josh Harrison broke up the no-hitter, the shutout and the tension with a walk-off homer in the 10th. In the end, Hill ended up with a 91 game score. Pitchers do not lose with 91 game scores.
Two thoughts: One, of course, instinctively is “Harvey Haddix.” That’s obvious. Nobody throws nine-no hit innings in a scoreless game without inspiring thoughts of Haddix’s 12 innings of perfection in May of 1959 followed by a heartbreaking 13th inning where Felix Mantilla reached on an error, Eddie Matthews sacrificed him over, Henry Aaron was intentionally passed (the only acceptable intentional walk in baseball history) and Joe Adcock doubled to end the no-hitter, shutout, game and the Haddix magic.
Read the full article here: https://medium.com/joeblogs/hard-luck-losers-f75d35de50f6
Originally published: August 24, 2017. Last Updated: August 24, 2017.