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There was something special in the air tonight. After an hour-long rain delay, I grabbed my lucky hat and sat down in front of my TV, a glass of bourbon & sweet tea in my hand, ready to take notes on the game I was about to watch. Little did I know that I would be watching history.
Happy Friday, Cincinnati. Wade Miley has just thrown a no-hitter.
Offense
If you’re a fan of high scoring games, this wasn’t the game for you. The Reds managed to only get three hits through the first eight innings. Opposing starter Zach Plesac pitched very well, only allowing one Reds baserunner through the first two innings.
The Reds had a good opportunity to score during the 3rd inning. Kyle Farmer led off by singling up the middle. This single was followed up by Shogo Akiyama almost grounding into a double play but reaching on an error. Nick Senzel then grounded into a fielder’s choice, bringing Farmer to third. With runners on the corners and one out, the hot-hitting Jesse Winker came to bat. Typically, this situation results in a run. In fact, run expectancy for this exact situation is 1.798. Unfortunately, Winker grounded into his first double play of the year, ending the inning.
The 4th inning started off looking like the Reds would score. Nick Castellanos led off with a standup double, creating a run expectancy situation of 1.068. Mike Moustakas grounded out, advancing Castellanos to third. The Redlegs were unable to bring him home, as both Eugenio Suarez and Tyler Naquin struck out to end the inning. The Reds bats quieted down significantly over the next several innings, with no hitters reaching base from the 5th through 8th innings.
With zeroes all across the scoreboard, Nick Senzel led off the 9th inning against the hard-throwing Emmanuel Clase. After working a 2-2 count, Senzel reached first on an infield single. Jesse Winker ambushed the first pitch he saw with an opposite field single. With no outs and runners on first and second, and a run expectancy of 1.373, Nick Castellanos came to the plate. He weakly hit the ball towards Clase who threw to Rosario, trying to create a double play. Unfortunately for the Indians, Rosario missed the ball, resulting in Senzel scoring and Winker being brought to third base. After a balk from Clase, Winker was brought home. Castellanos followed suit on an opposite field single from Mike Moustakas to plate a third run. That was all Wade Miley needed.
Pitching
As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for good pitching. I also picked up Wade Miley on my fantasy team.
In other words, I enjoyed this game very much.
Wade Miley started for the Redlegs and pitched excellently. From the beginning of the game, he settled in and proceeded to dominate opposing hitters. He pitched very quickly, not letting any batter get settled in the batter’s box. He also didn’t allow a single baserunner until the 6th inning, when Ahmed Rosario reached on an error. With the perfect game broken, Miley also walked Cesar Hernandez before the inning ended. Losing the perfect game didn’t rattle Miley though, who was perfect through the 7th, 8th and 9th inning to secure a no hitter and his place in Cincinnati Reds history.
Stats
Hardest Hit Balls
- Nick Senzel: 109.8 MPH l Groundout in the 1st inning
- Nick Castellanos: 107.4 MPH l Double in the 4th inning
- Tyler Naquin: 105.9 MPH l Single in the 2nd inning
Unluckiest Out of the Day
- Nick Senzel: .360 xBA l Groundout in the 1st inning
Highest Pitch Velocity by Pitcher
- Wade Miley: 91.1 MPH Fastball
Highest Pitch Spins
- Wade Miley: 2451 RPM Curveball
Most Pitch Movement
- Wade Miley: 63 inches vertical break l Curveball
- Wade Miley: 18 inches horizontal break l Changeup
Team Expected Batting Averages
- Reds: .144
- Indians: .131
What’s Next?
Wow, it’s so much fun watching a no hitter. What an exciting game. Cincinnati looks to build on this excitement and secure a series victory in Cleveland tomorrow. Game time is 6:10 PM with Luis Castillo facing off against Aaron Civale.
Featured image: https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1293621837201637377/photo/1
I will be the first to admit that when the Reds signed Miley I was not thrilled. I was afraid he would hinder the development of our younger pitchers. When he made the starting rotation for this season I again was not thrilled. However, even before the game today, Miley has certainly been a pleasant surprise and exceeded my expectations. His pitching today was a joy to watch. Thank you Wade Miley!
He’s been a very pleasant surprise for sure!
To steal a line from a movie: “baseball is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”
True in any given game whether about individuals, teams, outcomes, plays, umpiring and on and on.
Very true! It’s one of the things I appreciate most about baseball.