The No-Hitter Jinx

I hope y’all had a good weekend.

In the American League, the Rays have the first Wild Card pretty well wrapped up, while they battle the Orioles for the East. The O’s took 2 of 3 from the Red Sox, putting a stake in Boston’s postseason hopes. The Twins are now up 7 1/2 games over the Guardians in the Central. And the Astros are putting distance between themselves and the Mariners and Rangers. That leaves the Blue Jays, Mariners and Rangers to compete for two Wild Card spots.

In the National League, the Braves clinched a postseason berth for the sixth consecutive season. The Dodgers are close to clinching. And the Diamondbacks and Marlins look like the teams that will battle it out for the last Wild Card spot, with the Phillies and Cubs in 1-2 position.

But, you and I know things can change quickly, especially in the Wild Card races. So stay tuned.

Brewers lose no-hitter in the 11th inning, lose game in 13th

On Sunday at Yankee Stadium, Milwaukee pitchers Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, and Abner Uribe, combined to throw 10 no-hit innings. That wasn’t enough for a win, however, because the Brewers didn’t score their first run until the top of the 11th to take a 1-0 lead.

Then Milwaukee reliever Joel Payamps gave up a double to Yankee outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera, which scored the ghost runner to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.

The Brewers and Yankees then each scored 2 runs in the 12th inning.

The Yankees walked it off in the bottom of the 13th on a Kyle Higashioka double.

Had the Brewers kept the Yankees hitless through 11, it would have been the longest combined no-hitter in MLB history. Four different teams have combined for 10-inning no hitters: 1997 Pirates; 1965 Cincinnati Reds; 1917 Cincinnati Reds; and 1908 New York Giants. No team has accomplished that feat since MLB instituted the ghost runner rule in 2020.

An 11-inning no hitter also would have etched this incredible catch by Brewers’ left fielder Sal Frelick in MLB history. Instead, Frelick will likely make SportsCenter’s Top 10 and Joey Wiemer will nurse the bloody lip he got from Frelick’s elbow smashing into Weimer’s face.

The Brewers took 2 out of 3 from the Yankees, and with the Cubs losing 3 out of 4 to the Diamondbacks over the weekend, now hold a 3-game lead over Chicago. Milwaukee has 20 games remaining; the Cubs have 18.

Phillies lose no-hitter in 7th inning, lose game

Phillies starter Ranger Suarez was no-hitting the Miami Marlins until Dane Myers hit a one-out double to center field in the top of the 7th inning. (Dane Myers made his MLB debut on July 4 and is batting .283/.290/.367 in 62 plate appearances. Not the guy you think will break up a no-hitter).

At that moment, the Phillies were leading the game 3-0. At the end of the inning, the Marlins had tied the score. Then Bryan De La Cruz hit a 2-run home run off reliever Seranthony Dominguez in the top of the 8th to put the Marlins up 5-3. The Phillies scored 1 in bottom of the 8th to make it a 1-run game but that was it.

The Marlins took 2 of 3 from the Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark this weekend and now sit just 1/2 game behind the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot. The Marlins are 8-2 in their last 10 games, which is impressive considering that the team has been without ace Sandy Alcantara and home run masher Jorge Soler since September 6. Miami could be sneaky good if they make it to the postseason. They play a 3-game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee this week.

Meanwhile, the Phillies’ lead over the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot is down to 2 games. Dominguez took the loss in Sunday’s game. He also blew the save in Friday’s game when he gave up a 2-run homer to tie the game.

The Phillies’ pitching has been a real strength this season. Cracks in the bullpen could be trouble in the postseason.

After all of that maneuvering, the Guardians are toast

Cleveland shocked a lot of baseball folks when it was awarded claims on three players the Angels put on waivers at the end of August: Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo Lopez. At that time, the Guardians were 5 games back in the AL Central and had won 4 out of 6.

Since then, the Guardians have won 4 and lost 5 and fallen further behind the Twins—now 7 1/2 games out with 18 to play. Giolito’s started twice for Cleveland—both losses. Matt Moore’s appeared in three games and has 1 blown save. Reynaldo Lopez has pitched well and contributed to three wins but, frankly, it’s not enough.

We are only left to wonder how the NL Wild Card race might have looked if one or more of those teams had gotten Giolito, Moore and/or Lopez on August 31.