Michael Wacha almost etched his name in baseball history with a no-hit bid against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, but it was broken up with two outs in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium.
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit a bouncer up the middle that tipped Wacha’s glove, and shortstop Pete Kozma couldn’t make the throw to first. There was some initial questioning on the broadcast about whether it was a hit or an error, but it clearly looked to be a hit.
As ESPN Stats & Info notes, it’s the third time this season a no-hitter has been ended with only an out to go.
The St. Louis Cardinals still won, 2-0, on the strength of Wacha’s performance. The 22-year-old rookie had nine strikeouts versus just two walks before being relieved by Trevor Rosenthal for the final out.
It was only Wacha’s ninth start of the season, and he is now a stellar 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA. ESPN’s Buster Olney noted just how brief Michael Wacha’s career has been up to this point.
There’s no doubting Shelby Miller will have a tough act to follow when he takes the mound on Wednesday.
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