Tigers starter Matt Manning reacts to being pulled from no-hitter
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matt Manning was a part of history on Saturday, combining with relievers Jason Foley and Alex Lange to no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays. While some might be disappointed after failing to reach immortality alone, Manning didn't seem bothered by having to share the accomplishment.
"No, it was fine. It was really cool," Manning said via Bally Sports Detroit. "I wanted these guys to be a part of it. I'm all about winning above the personal accolades - I'm glad we got the win."
Manning threw 6 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball before giving way to Foley. It's possible that Manning had something left in the tank when A.J. Hinch came to the mound to get him, but after registering 91 pitches, it's unlikely Manning would've been able to finish the job outright. The right-hander's career-high for pitches thrown is 102, set against the Baltimore Orioles in 2022.
While the Tigers' trio of pitchers will receive much of the spotlight, catcher Eric Haase also deserves a great deal of credit. Haase became the 58th catcher in baseball history to be behind the plate for multiple no-hitters, having previously caught Spencer Turnbull's May 2021 effort. Only 14 backstops have caught three or more no-nos, with former Boston Red Sox captain Jason Varitek still holding the MLB all-time lead with four.
This combined effort gave the Tigers their ninth no-hitter in franchise history and their first since Turnbull silenced the Seattle Mariners two years back. Saturday's no-no also marked the second time the Tigers have held the Blue Jays to zero hits. In May 2011, Justin Verlander tossed his second career no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Toronto.
The Tigers' combined no-hitter was the 20th in baseball history, but we might see more of them down the road. Since the 2013 season, there have been 10 combined no-hitters, hinting at a change in strategy league-wide.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Blue Jays suffered a no-hitter for the seventh time. Only the Tampa Bay Rays (6), Houston Astros (5), Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos (4), Milwaukee Brewers/Seattle Pilots (4), Colorado Rockies (3), Miami Marlins (3), Arizona Diamondbacks (3) and Kansas City Royals (2) have been held hit-less more times among active teams.
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