St. Louis Cardinals rookie starter Michael Wacha pitched an absolute gem on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. Wacha did not allow a hit through 8 2/3 innigs, all the way to the final out, before an infield single by Ryan Zimmerman broke up his no-hit bid. It was a heartbreaking ending for Wacha, but Trevor Rosenthal was able to get the final out as the Cardinals won 2-0 to maintain their two-game lead in the NL Central race over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Zimmerman hit a high chopper up the middle and just over Wacha’s out-stretched glove. Shortstop Pete Kozma tried to make the play, barehanding the ball and throwing to first, but his throw was slightly off-line pulling first baseman Matt Adams off the bag and allowing Zimmerman to reach safely. A collective groan was heard throughout Busch Stadium as the ump made his call.
”I guess it just wasn’t to be,” Wacha said after the game. ”But it was still a pretty special night.”
”I think it nicked off my glove a little bit, Pete (Kozma) made a heck of an effort,” Wacha said. ”The defense played great behind me. That’s the only reason I was able to go that long. Everyone in the infield was making plays. It was just an unbelievable night.”
With the win and 8 2/3 innings of one hit ball, the 22-year-old Wacha improved to 4-1 on the season with a 2.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 65 strikeouts through his first 64 2/3 major league innings. He’s been up and down from the minors all season after being the Cardinals first round pick, 19th overall out of Texas A&M in the 2012 MLB Draft.
”It was fun to catch him,” Cards catcher Yadier Molina said. ”The no-hitter would have been a plus. I was hoping to get it, but it didn’t happen.”
Bud Smith, also a rookie at the time, threw the last Cardinals no-hitter back in 2001. The last no-hitter in St. Louis was pitched by Bob Forsch nearly thirty years ago, against the Montreal Expos on Sept. 26, 1983.
With this performance, Wacha continues to make his case to get a post-season start for the Cardinals. While Adam Wainwright is sure to get the game one start, after that things are wide open with Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, and fellow rookie Shelby Miller being the other contenders for the starting spots.
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