What a day it was in Major League Baseball yesterday. Not only did we see a 20-inning, six hour and 53 minute game (the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees usually go that long in a nine-inning game) between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, but we also saw a no-hitter.
Jimenez pitched the first no-hitter in Rockies' history.
Colorado Rockies RHP Ubaldo Jimenez tossed the first no-hitter in Rockies history, as the Rockies defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-0. Jimenez’s no-hitter was shades of AJ Burnett.
Back in 2001, when Burnett was with the Florida Marlins, he threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. What made the no-hitter unique was that Burnett walked nine batters that game.
For the first five innings against the Braves, Jimenez was doing his best to top Burnett’s nine walks. Through the first five innings, Jimenez walked six batters and was, what I guess you could call, “effectively wild.”
But then Jimenez made a switch in the sixth inning that showed how mature he is. Jimenez started the sixth inning pitching from the stretch and pitched from the stretch for the remainder of the game.
Instead of being stubborn and thinking what he was doing was working, he realized he needed to change something, and he did. Once he went to the stretch, the Braves didn’t have a chance.
I watched this game from the fifth inning on, and the Braves literally hit one ball hard the rest of the game. The only ball the Braves hit hard was a line drive by Troy Glaus in the seventh, and Dexter Fowler made a tremendous diving catch in left-center field. I feel like every no-hitter or perfect game has to have one great catch during the game, and that catch by Fowler was it.
Jimenez threw 128 pitches and retired Brian McCann for the final out of the game. Pitch 126 from Jimenez was a 98 mph fastball. Can you believe that?
Jimenez was throwing just as hard in the ninth inning as he was in the first. The guy is a horse.
I also want to give credit for this no-hitter to two other people as well. Pitching coach Bob Apodaca and catcher Miguel Olivo—Apodaca for suggesting that Jimenez go to the stretch in the sixth inning, and Olivo for calling just a fantastic game.
Final pitching line for Jimenez:
9 IP 0 H 0 R 6 BB 7 K 128 pitches 72 strikes
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