Michael Lorenzen tosses no-hitter in second start as a Phillie
Move over, Shohei Ohtani. On Wednesday night, former two-way player Michael Lorenzen tossed a no-hitter in his second start as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
With his family on hand to witness it, Lorenzen forced Dominic Smith to pop out lazily to centerfield, clinching the no-hitter.
It took 124 pitches, but Lorenzen held the Washington Nationals hitless through nine innings, tallying five strikeouts and four walks.
Lorenzen had to battle early on and was already at 100 pitches through seven innings. However, it took only 24 pitches over the eighth and ninth to seal the deal.
"Honestly, I was upset at myself for those first couple of innings, long innings, walking guys," Lorenzen said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "And I knew, like, 'Ah, man, I just ruined my chance to go deep in this game.'"
Luckily, despite his high pitch count, manager Rob Thomson gave Lorenzen a shot at finishing the job.
"Just kinda trying to buy some more innings, and he gave them to me," Lorenzen said. "So hats off to him."
Lorenzen's no-no is the 14th in Phillies history and the first for the franchise since the recently retired Cole Hamels threw one in his final start with the club in 2015.
Acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers, Lorenzen was spectacular in his first outing in a Phillies uniform. Last week, Lorenzen allowed only two earned runs off six hits with five strikeouts over eight innings in a 4-2 win on the road over the Miami Marlins.
However, he saved his best for Wednesday's home debut, and he didn't disappoint. Now, he'll go down in history, just like he dreamed.
"I've watched all of Nolan Ryan's no-hitters, and I always wanted to throw a no-hitter," Lorenzen said.
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