Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen did not give up a hit in Wednesday’s 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals. Here’s what you need to know:
- Lorenzen, 31, has thrown 124 pitches (76 strikes), with five strikeouts and four walks.
- Prior to Wednesday, the Nationals hadn’t been no-hit as a franchise since moving to Washington from Montreal in 2005.
- The closest Washington had come to being no-hit was when Ryan Zimmerman beat out a grounder with two out in the ninth in St. Louis to break up the no-hit bid of the Cardinals’ Michael Wacha.
- The Phillies (63-52) sit second in the National League East, while the Nationals (50-65) are last in the division.
HISTORY FOR MICHAEL LORENZEN 🙌
In just his second start with the Phillies since being acquired at the trade deadline, Lorenzen tosses the 14th no-hitter in franchise history and the first since 2015.
◻️ 9.0 IP
◻️ 0 H
◻️ 0 R
◻️ 5 K
◻️ 4 BB
◻️ 124 P pic.twitter.com/m89x88RLqW— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 10, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Significance of Lorenzen’s no-hitter for Phillies
Normally, a no-hitter features at least one, maybe two, scintillating defensive plays behind the pitcher. Lorenzen needed no such help against Washington. The Nats didn’t barrel up a ball all evening, flailing at Lorenzen’s change-up inning after inning.
Washington had been playing much better of late, with C.J. Abrams raking since being moved to the leadoff spot, and Lane Thomas continuing his breakthrough season. But no one came close to beating Lorenzen on Wednesday.
It didn’t help that the Nats’ current 6-9 hitters were, in order, Jake Alu, Ildemaro Vargas, Blake Rutherford and Alex Call – not exactly Murderers’ Row. Or, Pointed Arguments’ Row. None of them had anything to offer against Lorenzen’s arsenal.
The closest the Nationals’ franchise had previously come to being no-hit was on Sept. 24, 2013, when Ryan Zimmerman beat out a two-out infield hit in the ninth inning against the Cardinals’ Michael Wacha.
It was the Phillies’ first no-hitter at Citizens’ Bank Park since Roy Halladay’s no-hitter against the Reds in Game 1 of the NL Division Series – just the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history. — Aldridge
(Photo: Bill Streicher / USA Today)
