Chad,
Isn't this Tek's 3rd no hitter? Who holds the record for most no-no's caught?
Most no-hit games caught, career (nine innings)
4 - Ray Schalk, Chicago AL, 1914 (2), 1917, 1922
3 - Alan Ashby, Houston, 1979, 1981, 1986
3 - Yogi Berra, New York, 1951 (2), 1956 (WS Perfect Game)
3 - Roy Campanella, Brooklyn, 1952, 1956 (2)
3 - Bill Carrigan, Boston A.L., 1911, 1916 (2)
3 - Del Crandall, Milwaukee N.L., 1954, 1960 (2)
3 - Lou Criger, Boston A.L. 1904, 1908, NY A.L. 1910
3 - Johnny Edwards, Cincinnati, 1965 (2), St. Louis 1968
3 - Silver Flint, Chicago N.L., 1880, 1882, 1885
3 - Jim Hegan, Cleveland, 1947, 1948, 1951
3 - Charles Johnson, Florida N.L. 1996, 1997, 2001
3 - Ed McFarland, Phila N.L. 1898, Chicago A.L. 1902, 1905
3 - Val Picinich, Phila A.L., 1916, Wash A.L., 1920, Boston A.L., 1923
3 - Luke Sewell, Cleveland A.L., 1931, Chicago A.L., 1935, 1937
3 - Jeff Torborg, Los Angeles N.L., 1965, 1970, California A.L., 1973
3 - TEK!
Must be some mistake... wasn't that supposed to be Phil Hughes' no-hitter? Must have been a mixup at FedEx.
And this is one more big reason to take sentiment out of the equation in contract decisions. Buchholz was a compensatory draft pick for the loss of Pedro Martinez to the Mets. No, I'm not saying Buchholz is better... but whose future looks brighter right now?
On an unrelated note, how the hell does Jay Payton hold a major-league job? He's an adequate defender but a terrible hitter -- no power, no OBA, mediocre BA. And then there's the bad attitude. I can understand having a guy like this around if he's a gutty, gritty, Eckstein-type... but Payton is the Perfect Storm: Eckstein production, Everett attitude. Making Jay Payton your everyday left fielder is just another way of saying "We have no idea what we're doing as an organization, and we really don't care."
Which leads to the question, are the Orioles the kind of team that loses 30-3 and gets no-hit by a rookie because they have Jay Payton, or do they have Jay Payton because they're that kind of team? All I know is it's been a fun summer to live in Baltimore.
I'm still in a bit of shock about this game. But just think: if it wasn't for Wake's back acting up, none of this would've happened. There was a feel to this game as it hit the sixth inning and there were omens seemingly everywhere(strange thing: the day before and that afternoon, I kept hearing songs with the word "magic" in it) and Pedroia's play seemed to just signify the most. Even Jerry Remy was beside himself when he was in the booth just saying "We're witnessing something special here at Fenway tonight" sometime in the 8th inning. It was just...I'm still flabbergasted
I'm surprised that I haven't seen anyone mention Buchholz's beyond mellow demeanor even after the game was over... I kind of love that his reaction to throwing a no hitter was like Beckett's reaction to striking a dude out with a runner on in, like, the third inning. I love it.
We've all heard the media of late chastising the Sox for playing with lack of heart, especially when compared with the team that swept them this past week (and, for a change, I actually agree with the media). That being said, Clay's performance was nothing short of clutch and was exactly what this team needed. Forget about the fans (for a moment), the reaction from the entire Sox team was wonderful to see. Perhaps that will wake them up for the stretch run? It certainly was a perfect way to start September.
Pedrioa's play was fantastic and he should win a gold glove down once Placido Palanco is exposed for his Faustian bargain that gave him this season. With the not-too-glaring exception of Lugo, we have a gold glove infield all around.
Buchholz is the real deal. Any young pitcher who dominates with the change up and still throws hard and for strikes has a great chance of success. He's much better then Lester.
Not to throw any cold water on Buchholz's amazing achievement, but the one thing that's scary is the list of rookies who've thrown no-hitters since 1970. With the exception of Vida Blue and possibly Burt Hooton, in '70 and '72, respectively, the list includes a lot of names that barely register as big-league performers. The jury's still out on Anibal Sanchez, of course, and Wilson Alvarez made a bit of a splash, albeit brief, but Bud Smith, Jose Jimenez (the real one, not Bill Dana), Mike Warren, Jim Bibby and Steve Busby all faded from their initial glory. I just hope it's not something contagious.
Busby was a hell of a pitcher - he threw two no-hitters, won 22 games at age 24 in '74, and 18 more in '75 . . . and he never threw more than 71 innings again after that season. His career ended at 30 because of a rotator cuff problem, something that they'd be able to repair today. Might have had something to do with the 292 innings he threw in '74. Had he stayed healthy, who knows, the Royals might have bounced the Yankees in the playoffs sometime from '76-'78.
Ah, for the good old days of the Dead Arm Era, when men were men and there wasn't no pitch counts or none o' that fruity stuff ruining the game. Hork, spit!
292 innings from a young pitcher. I bet the exercise regimen conisted of the pitching coach and the trainer yanking on Busby's arm as hard as they could, to stretch it out and toughen it up. If Papelbon had come along 30 years earlier, he'd have racked up 100+ relief innings in his first season... and he would have been done by age 30.
Watch this clip- it's from the right-field bleachers at the moment of out #3 in the ninth.
Awesome and REALLY LOUD explosion from the crowd.
JOY.
http://www.nniland.com/
buchholzn...olznohit9th.wmv
"Nick Markakis looking at the final, gravity-defying breaking ball of the night."
Not to nitpick, but there was nothing gravity-defying about that pitch. If anything, that pitch cuddled up next to gravity, whispered sweet nothings in gravity's ear, pledged to love, honor and obey gravity, and was rewarded when gravity gave it and let that pitch have its way with her.
The cynic in ME thought if anyone broke it up, it would be Payton. I had visions of Mike Mussina's near no-no that was broken up by Crazy Carl Everett. I was thinking that equally unlikable Jay Payton would do something similar, perhaps just to further expose his jerkitude. Thankfully, he did not and the rest is history.
sox, nice clip. i'm betting that's similar to what it looked like for dock ellis' when he threw his no-hitter on LSD in '70.
Chad, thanks for the reference to Steve Busby's demise. Another no-hitter-er to add to the list would be Catfish Hunter, who pitched a perfect game in his age 22 season (196
, and was done at 30, after about 275 IP/ year between age 21 and 30.
Part of me--a very tiny part-- was hoping that they'd pull Buchholz at some number of pithces, just so I could see the CircusMaxximus of the gravy-stained tie crowd falling over themselves lauding the good 'ol days.
Jenna Fischer's on the market!
Can't wait for the days when fans will be chanting: Laptop, Laptop when he takes the mound.
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