You Get A No-Hitter! You Get a No-Hitter!
2021 MLB season summed up:
“You get a no-hitter! And you get a no-hitter! And you get a no-hitter!!!!” pic.twitter.com/yDfq0q20b6
— Rachel Miller (@RachelErinM) May 20, 2021
For the second straight day, and sixth time this season (seventh when you count Madison Bumgarner), a pitcher tossed a no-hitter. On Wednesday night, Texas high school native Corey Kluber was near perfect against the Texas Rangers. A walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning was the only blemish on his pitching line. The New York Yankees right-hander also struck out nine Rangers on the historic night. He mowed down the Texas bats on 101 pitches – 71 of them for strikes. It is the first Yankees no-hitter since July 18, 1999, when David Cone threw a perfect game against the Montreal Expos. Overall, it is the franchise’s 12th no-hitter and their first one on the road since Allie Reynolds did it at the Cleveland Indians on July 12, 1951.
Kluber was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but he attended Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. Interestingly enough, the no-hitter thrown on Tuesday night was by Detroit Tigers‘ Spencer Turnbull, who is also an Alabama-born right-hander. It was the second time the Rangers have been no-hit this season. The first came in the first no-no of the season on April 9 by San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove. This is the first time in MLB history that three teams have been no-hit twice in a season: the Rangers, Tigers, and Indians. The modern record for most no-hitters in a season is seven; the all-time record is eight, which occurred during the dead ball era.
Feel Good Story
Kluber pitched one inning for the Rangers last season before he tore a muscle in his right shoulder and missed the rest of the season. 2020 was his second straight shortened season. His 2019 season ended on May 1 when he got hit on the forearm by a line drive. The Yankees signed him in the offseason to a one-year, $11 million deal. So far, it has paid off well, as he now has a 50-to-20 strikeout to walk ratio and 1.17 WHIP over 50 1/3 innings.
“This was a lot of fun,” Kluber told the YES Network after the game. “It was a well-played game on both sides – were able to scratch out a few runs out there. And it was fun to be a part of.”
🚨🚨 Corey Kluber just pitched a NO-HITTER ❗️❗️ Yankees Win 2-0 🚨🚨
The Klubot just pitched the 11th regular season No-Hitter in Yankee franchise history. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/FtjdiOblKe
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 20, 2021
Team Effort
The Yankees were able to scratch across their only runs in the sixth inning. Kluber’s batterymate Kyle Higashioka led off with a walk and scored on a triple by Tyler Wade. DJ LeMahieu followed that up with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. The ninth inning saw Kluber induce a groundout to Culberson, a lineout from David Dahl, and a groundout from Willie Calhoun. The Dahl lineout was the closest to falling for a hit, as Wade came down with the ball on a running play for the 26th out.
“It’s all kinds of emotions. It’s excitement obviously, but also relief because it’s over,” Kluber said. “We were fortunate in that they hit the right to people.”
Higashioka was credited by Kluber for calling a great game and keeping the Rangers on their toes. Higashioka said that Kluber’s two-seamer and cutter looked outstanding, while his curveball looked the best he has ever seen it.
“He was unreal back there tonight,” Kluber said about Higashioka behind the plate. He said he will be getting Higashioka something special to commemorate the night.
After the final out, Higashioka was asked how he was feeling. “It was almost like what you would imagine after winning the World Series. It was a euphoric feeling. He lifted me off the ground and was pumped.”
Kluber said that it was special for him to do it in Texas considering the injuries and struggles he has had the last couple of years. He is a two-time Cy Young winner and was in that same type of form last night. He broke character as the “Klubot”, breaking a smile after the final out.
Corey Kluber took a regular old iPhone photo on the mound after his no-hitter 🥺 pic.twitter.com/Ak1tvn7mav
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 20, 2021
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
