There’s been a lot of talk around these parts regarding no-hitters.
Mets pitcher Johan Santana tossed a no-hitter earlier this month, the first in the team’s 51-year history, and on Wednesday, R.A. Dickey stunned the Tampa Bay Rays and nearly notched another no-hitter for the Mets, but finished with one-hit on his pitching line.
But Dickey, who struck out 12 batters, wasn’t even the most dominating pitcher on the mound Wednesday night.
San Francisco Giants right-hander Matt Cain tossed a perfect game, the first in the franchise’s storied history. The Giants have thrown 14 no-hitters.
More than half of Cain’s outs were strikeouts (14) and he was in such a good groove Wednesday that he didn’t shake off his catcher Buster Posey once, according to reports.
Another impressive stat: Cain threw 125 pitches on the night, 86 of which were strikes.
It was the 22nd perfect game in history.
“It’s something I always wanted to do since I was little, but it’s kind of a blur when it actually happens,” Cain said, according to The Associated Press.
“Things like this bring a team together even more,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy reportedly said. “That’s the first one I’ve seen. It was an incredible night. Matt was going about it like a normal game. That last at-bat he sprinted to first base and I yelled, ‘Hey, take it easy.’ But he always plays the game hard.”
As for Dickey, there’s still a chance—a slim chance—that baseball could overturn a ruling on the lone hit given up by the knuckleballer.
In the first inning, speedy outfielder B.J. Upton hit a bouncer to third base but David Wright was unable to bare hand the ball.
Considering how difficult the play was it doesn’t seem likely that baseball will overturn the official scorer’s decision.
