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Matt Garza No-Hitter: MLB Pitching Dominance Better Than Steroids Era?

Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Garza just tossed Major League Baseball's fifth no-hitter of the season.

You have to go back 20 years to 1990 to find a season with more than three no-hitters, when six were thrown.

In MLB history only 20 pitchers have thrown a perfect game. Two of those were thrown this season, and that doesn't include Armando Galarraga's gem that would have been perfect if not for that one missed call.

If you have been paying attention, you know what is going on.

The pitching numbers have been absurd this season. It's no surprise that many people are calling this the new age of pitching.

If you are a baseball purist, you are probably loving it right now. The game at its purest form, with pitching dominating hitting, requiring more strategy when the hits are fewer and far between.

But if you are a fan who likes to see some action in the sports you watch, then you might not be enjoying this Renaissance so much.

Dare I say it: Would some people prefer the excitement that reverberated throughout stadiums when power hitting ruled baseball? Yes, I am referring to the Steroids Era.

If you go back to 1990, the last time so many pitchers threw gems, the game was on pace to hit a lockout and lose a little bit of its luster.

It took the great home run derby between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire to resurrect interest in the sport for much of America.

Looking back on the Steroids Era, many people are horrified at what actually transpired and at how the record books were tarnished by these steroid users.

But, you have to wonder if some fans long for the days of excitement, even at the cost of steroids.

The purists will scoff at those people, saying they are not true fans. But that group will say that a sport needs fans to generate excitement.

It certainly can be a catch-22 of sorts for sports, between the fundamentals and the excitement of seeing professional athletes do what we cannot.

Sure, most of us cannot pitch one of these no-hitters, but is it more exciting for you to watch a pitcher stifle a team into not hitting a single ball or a player smack a few long balls in a game?

Most people will think this is blasphemy, but what is your opinion on the matter? Which form of baseball do you prefer: pitching dominance or hitting power galore? Or is it even a question?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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