Drew Rasmussen on Sunday nearly threw Major League Baseball’s first perfect game in a decade, but the bid ended in the top of the ninth inning.
Rasmussen was perfect through eight innings against the Baltimore Orioles when shortstop Jorge Mateo belted a double down the third baseline. The hit came on the first pitch of the ninth inning.
Rasmussen had only 79 pitches at the time, so his pitch count was not an issue. He wound up allowing one earned run following a ground ball and wild pitch. The right-hander was then replaced by Jason Adam, who struck out the final two Orioles batters to preserve a 4-1 victory for the Rays. Rasmussen finished with seven strikeouts and allowed only the one hit over 8.1 innings.
There are typically multiple no-hitters per MLB season, but perfect games are a much more rare feat. Monday will mark 10-years since former Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez threw a perfect game against — as luck would have it — the Rays.
Rasmussen was just three outs away, but MLB fans will have to keep waiting for the next perfect game.
More must-reads: