84 Up, 84 Down. (Excluding Walks and Errors)

April 21, 2009 2:44 PM

A little over two weeks into the season, Major League Baseball has already seen four near no-hitters. Meanwhile, Mitchell High School senior Patrick Schuster has thrown four in a row.
posted by SpiffyRob (52 comments total)

How remarkable.
posted by Crabby Appleton at 2:47 PM on April 21

I've been following this today:

Disaster. He's far too skinny to be throwing that volume. Look at his shoulder and his rotation. He's going to throw his arm out, I guarantee it. Sure there are kids who can overcome it, but they are overhand top down throwers and generally freaks. This is kid is not a freak. He's a great pitcher with serious technical skills. His coach should be thinking about his future and staggering his volume. I watch countless number 1 pitchers destroy their arms at that hand of overeager coach who thinks the kid is the next pedro martinez. Kids shouldn't even be allowed to pitch at that volume until college when they fill out... Even then.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 2:53 PM on April 21 [3 favorites has favorites]

Next week in baseball: How Boring is Exciting without an Exclamation Point.
posted by plexi at 2:55 PM on April 21

I know this sounds kinda Mom-and-apple-pie, but I swear it's true: the older I get the more interested in baseball I become, but that interest is inversely proportional to the level of baseball being played. MLB? Meh -- I'll watch half a game on TV a coupla times a month. AA? Awesome! Cheap beer, bright lights, I'm there! High school pitcher throws 4 consecutive no-nos? E-MAILED TO EVERYONE I KNOW.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:58 PM on April 21 [7 favorites has favorites]

I've seen two lists today of people who did similarly (or more - one guy apparently did six in a row). From those two lists combined, I had heard of exactly one player. That player, Sam Militello, was a big time prospect, but flamed out young.

I'm certainly not the world's most encyclopedic baseball fan, but I think I'm more so than the average fan, and I'd be willing to bet that Militello's professional career, short and unremarkable as it was, was probably the best of anybody on those two lists.

Anyway, great for this kid, but I would caution against getting too excited about his future.
posted by Flunkie at 3:05 PM on April 21

Next week in baseball: How Boring is Exciting without an Exclamation Point.

This week in Metafilter: Mefites think your favorite sport sucks.
posted by dersins at 3:06 PM on April 21

Is a near no-hitter like a four flush? Because if so, I'm a way better poker player than I thought.
posted by allen.spaulding at 3:07 PM on April 21 [4 favorites has favorites]

His coach should be thinking about his future and staggering his volume.

Is it unusual for a high-schooler to be pitching a whole game? How many innings should this kid be pitching at a go?
posted by mr_roboto at 3:07 PM on April 21

I'm not sure what the definition of a "near" no-hitter is (or should be) but I wouldn't get overly excited about six innings. At seven I'm interested, which rules out three of your four MLB examples except the Wakefield one.
As for the high school kid...that's quite a feat, and here's hoping his arm lasts long enough to make a career of it, as LS mentioned.
posted by rocket88 at 3:07 PM on April 21

He's far too skinny to be throwing that volume.

Do we have any idea about the number of pitches he's throwing?
posted by inigo2 at 3:10 PM on April 21

Is it unusual for a high-schooler to be pitching a whole game? How many innings should this kid be pitching at a go?
posted by mr_roboto at 3:07 PM on April 21 [+] [!]

This day and age, It should be discouraged. High school games are 7 innings. He's averaging 6.6 innings per start so he's almost throwing a complete game every time he's out there. Less of a worry is the innings and more the amount of pitches. He struck out 17 batters which means he's throwing a lot more pitches than a contact pitcher. Basically he's putting miles/wear and tear on his arm. Seriously, 110 strikeouts for 8 games is simply absurd. A lot of scouts think high school players should be limited to 5 innings. Coaches hate it cause it limits their team's play. I tend to agree with the scouts.

Even more awful is little league. Why kids are allowed to pitch so young is beyond me. None of them can even "pitch", they heave. It's incredibly destructive. I can't overstate this enough. The mid leagues are just as bad. I know an absurd amount about pitching and have worked with scouts. If you want your kid to be a big league pitcher, teach him the mechanics with a tennis ball. Don't let him even try a hardball til he's about 17 and filled out a bit. Then limit his innings until he gets on a solid program in college. You can learn to throw a curve ball whenever you want, you can't get your arm back when you blow it out in 8th grade. Whatsoever.

It's a real problem. I watched the best 14 year old pitcher in New England break his arm mid-throw during game. The coach was negligent. The kid could never could throw the same way again. Meanwhile Curt Schilling didn't pitch til he was about 20.

The problem is the whole pitch count revolution is relatively new so people don't get it. They think the old guys were all ironmen. Little do they realize that the history of baseball is littered with flash in the pan guys who were pitched to much and blew out there arms. For every cy young, there are 25 promise guys with torn rotator cuffs and blown elbows.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 3:24 PM on April 21 [14 favorites has favorites]

His stats page seems to indicate that his games are seven innings in length at most, and that three games ago he only pitched five innings, so I don't know how that counts as a no-hitter.
posted by rocket88 at 3:26 PM on April 21

I'm not sure what the definition of a "near" no-hitter is (or should be) but I wouldn't get overly excited about six innings. At seven I'm interested, which rules out three of your four MLB examples except the Wakefield one.
As for the high school kid...that's quite a feat, and here's hoping his arm lasts long enough to make a career of it, as LS mentioned.
posted by rocket88 at 3:07 PM on April 21 [+] [!]

A "near-no hitter" is colloquially a no-hitter that has hit the 7th inning. Mostly because that's typically when sports media outlets report that one is in progress.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 3:26 PM on April 21

I am a reporter from the Canadian Broadcasting Company and I conclude that high school pitching is far better than major league pitching and that he must be smoking marijuana and keening up his judgement to be able to throw this well.
posted by jimmythefish at 3:31 PM on April 21

I knew this sounded familiar. Scott Kazmir. Another lefty with 4 no hitters in high school and the same pitches.

Kazmir has been heralded forever and has played exceptionally well... when he hasn't been hurt. Injuries are a huge problem for him and a concern for his future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Kazmir
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 3:33 PM on April 21

His stats page seems to indicate that his games are seven innings in length at most, and that three games ago he only pitched five innings, so I don't know how that counts as a no-hitter.
posted by rocket88 at 3:26 PM on April 21 [+] [!]

I'm guessing game called to slaughter rule or weather.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 3:35 PM on April 21

Is no one paying attention that the poster is arguing this high school pitcher has more talent than four major league pitchers? This is dissociation all over again.
posted by parmanparman at 3:41 PM on April 21

Don't let him even try a hardball til he's about 17 and filled out a bit.

That's a little extreme. It's fine for a kid to throw the ball, so long as they're not trying to either overpower the batter or throw a massive 12-6. Kids in little league should, first of all, be playing for the fun of the game and for the camaraderie of their teammates. Performance should really be an afterthought, but at the same time, this is the point at which they should start to learn the basics.

Little league should be all about location, location, location. Throw the same junkball over and over again, as long as it's comfortable on the kid's arm, and teach them to spot the ball in the corners, specifically down and away. If the kid's arm is comfortable and they have a natural break on their ball, don't discourage it, just don't overextend them. A kid can throw a slider without hurting themselves, it's the unnatural motion of the curve, and the sheer exertion of the two-seam fastball that wind up roughing them up.

If I had my choice, I'd teach every little leaguer the same three pitches: junkball thrown to a specific location, natural slider, and circle change. Again, don't overexert them and they'll be fine. Those three pitches could carry them all the way up to high-A ball, especially if they're left handed.
posted by mark242 at 4:01 PM on April 21

yes, plenty of no-hitters, maybe... but were the pitchers on acid at the time?
posted by Philby at 4:06 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

Disaster. He's far too skinny to be throwing that volume.

Exact same thing I thought when I saw video of him this morning. Kid throws sick pitches, no doubt, but his arm action makes me cringe. This kid will almost certainly need Tommy John surgery before he comes anywhere near a pro career.

But still. Yiiiikes! Nice find on that stats page. He struck out 60 of 89 batters he faced. Also worth noting that he plunked three batters in his last non-no-hitter, and has plunked one in two of the four. I would be terrified to let this kid throw anything anywhere near me.

A "near-no hitter" is colloquially a no-hitter that has hit the 7th inning.

Yup. I don't think anyone was in bunches over Lilly or RJ's bids (well, maybe a little for RJ. It'd be tight to see him throw another) but if you've given up none by the time you come out for the seventh, it's typically called as such.

Is no one paying attention that the poster is arguing this high school pitcher has more talent than four major league pitchers? This is dissociation all over again.

A statement whose accuracy is matched only by its incredible legibility. Bravo, sir.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:09 PM on April 21

A "near no-hitter" is full of near-misses.
posted by not_on_display at 4:09 PM on April 21

There's nothing like a sports thread on MeFi to illustrate cluelessness.
posted by dhammond at 4:13 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

Don't let him even try a hardball til he's about 17 and filled out a bit.

That's a little extreme. It's fine for a kid to throw the ball, so long as they're not trying to either overpower the batter or throw a massive 12-6. Kids in little league should, first of all, be playing for the fun of the game and for the camaraderie of their teammates. Performance should really be an afterthought, but at the same time, this is the point at which they should start to learn the basics.

Little league should be all about location, location, location. Throw the same junkball over and over again, as long as it's comfortable on the kid's arm, and teach them to spot the ball in the corners, specifically down and away. If the kid's arm is comfortable and they have a natural break on their ball, don't discourage it, just don't overextend them. A kid can throw a slider without hurting themselves, it's the unnatural motion of the curve, and the sheer exertion of the two-seam fastball that wind up roughing them up.

If I had my choice, I'd teach every little leaguer the same three pitches: junkball thrown to a specific location, natural slider, and circle change. Again, don't overexert them and they'll be fine. Those three pitches could carry them all the way up to high-A ball, especially if they're left handed.
posted by mark242 at 4:01 PM on April 21 [+] [!]

My fury knows no bounds. Teaching a little leaguer a junkball is simply asinine. I'm sorry. It's not extreme. There is more than enough medical analysis to back this up. (will find and post). There's a reason that New England has outlawed all junk in little league. Because it's harmful. Sure they've historically been killed in the little league world series, but then again they have the lowest amount of arm injuries too. Pitching is such an unnatural motion for a kid. Heck, it's an unnatural motion for anyone.

But I know I'm not going to get people on that train. Kids want to pitch and parents want their kids to pitch. So it's going to happen. But no one should be learning to throw junk until high school. A kid with natural movement is okay enough, but those are usually lefties.

What confirms my suspicion is your assertion that teaching a kid 3 pitches in little league can carry them to high A ball. Absolutely ridiculous. Pure rubbish. The amount a kid's body changes between little league is college is unquantifiable. You have absolutely no clue which kid will be able to perform later on a collegiate level/bush league level. So just build general baseball skills. Fielding in particular. Parents used to come up to me and ask about their little league flame thrower's chances that he will make the majors. I look at the kid and there's a chance he won't make his high school baseball team.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 4:31 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

If a pitcher gives up a hit to the first batter then gets 27 outs in a row does that count as a near no-hitter?
posted by plastic_animals at 4:33 PM on April 21

If I had my choice, I'd teach every little leaguer the same three pitches: junkball thrown to a specific location, natural slider, and circle change.

Specifically, a circle change is very dangerous for a little leaguer. It puts the point of flexibility on the wrist and even worse the wrist is coming from a different direction (about 45-90 degrees turned counter clockwise). That's a nightmare for a kid who is holding all the weight of baseball on his wrist and snapping forward.

Do you coach?

I'm not trying to be didactic or jerk here, I'm just genuinely concerned. The myth about the only "problem pitch" being the curve is just that, a myth. You have to look for far more than a different motion, but different positioning. The only pitch that even comes close to "standard" positioning is a split and kids can't get anywhere near the velocity needed to throw that. Little league should be 1 pitch.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 4:40 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

If a pitcher gives up a hit to the first batter then gets 27 outs in a row does that count as a near no-hitter?
posted by plastic_animals at 4:33 PM on April 21 [+] [!]

Nope. Thems the breaks.

It would probably get a funny little afterthought mention on sportscenter.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 4:42 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

If a pitcher gives up a hit to the first batter then gets 27 outs in a row does that count as a near no-hitter?

How about when a pitcher walks the first batter on 4 pitches, argues with the ump, throws a punch at him, and gets ejected, and after the relief pitcher comes in, the runner who walked is caught stealing, and then the reliever retires the next 26 batters?

Is that a perfect game for the reliever?

Oh, and is it extra awesome if the starting pitcher-- you know, the guy who was ejected for throwing a punch at the ump-- was Babe fucking Ruth?
posted by dersins at 4:42 PM on April 21 [4 favorites has favorites]

The dangers/precautions of little league pitching. I'm even more cautious than most of these.

No junk under 14

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/01/Sports/Little_League_pitcher.shtml

pitch counts
http://www.shoulder1.com/news/mainstory.cfm/103

http://www.infosports.com/baseball/arch/2036.htm

http://www.baseballfarming.com/CoachingLittleLeagueBaseballPitching.html

But seriously, if you want your kid to be a pitcher there is nothing they gain by pitching 200 innings in high school. Nothing at all. They can learn everything they need to know about pitching in college.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 4:54 PM on April 21

Two consecutive posts, same message: Intellectual stimuli, overrated.
posted by JeNeSaisQuoi at 5:09 PM on April 21

Little league should be 1 pitch.

Strongly, strongly disagree with this. Perhaps you misunderstood my "junkball" -- I'm not talking about putting any spin on the ball, I'm just talking about the regular toss that your average little leaguer makes. It has motion due to the lack of speed and any natural spin the kid's motion puts on it, not because of any out-of-the-ordinary arm motion.

But I digress: a good little leaguer should be learning the basics, and the basics for a pitcher are location, location, location, and pitch selection, in that order. Once a kid shows that they can toss a ball to where they want it to go, for the most part, it is not unreasonable to give them options to throw that don't otherwise strain their arms. The circle change I was talking about wasn't about hand angles, it's more of the beginning of the circle change-- a palmball if you will, just taking away the index finger so that the velocity on the pitch drops. Being able to throw a reliable offspeed pitch -- again, without straining the arm -- and to the location you're aiming is huge. Similarly, if a kid can learn the motion where his natural movement puts a bit of a slide on the ball, and then the motion where his natural movement doesn't put a slide on the ball, I wouldn't discourage that at all.
posted by mark242 at 5:10 PM on April 21

Okay. I'll try to lessen the hysteria. Sorry bout that.

First off, you're dead on with your assessment with a great starting points for pitching. Location, location, location is everything. I'm stunned by the amount of "great talent" I look at in high school who can't locate a fastball. And reliable offspeed pitch is of course, the second thing a pitcher needs to learn.

But little leaguers are too young. They are. This is a fact. The ball is too heavy for them. They are not pitching. They are heaving.

The regiment your talking about is great for the kids in 8th grade and maybe 7th, 13-14 year olds that are bigger and have sturdy shoulders. But not little league. I'm sorry. It's just not healthy. But lets ignore all that for a second....

Here's the larger point: It's useless. A kid learning skills for location and off-speed in elementary and middle school puts them at no advantage to be skilled pitcher in high school, college, and pro levels. Not for a single second. Almost every little league "phenom" doesn't pan out. There's a reason for that. Meanwhile the strongest pitchers I see in bush league/the majors were ones who had late starts; even making the transition in college. Therefore, there is simply no point whatsoever to teaching a little leaguer about pitching. You can only do harm. The benefits are so negligible. You think you're giving these kids a leg up but it doesn't matter. The kid who has the best chance at doing well later on is the one with the complete range of skills. Teach them how to throw, field, and hit. Dear god teach them how to hit and the sky is the limit. Also, encourage them to use the lightest bats possible.

But most of all have butt loads fun.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 5:32 PM on April 21

just found this. Curt Schilling, off his blog. It's dead on.

Q-I’m trying to teach my 11 yr old son the finer points of pitching. Is there a particular resource (book, video, website, training program, etc) that you would recommend? I’m searching for something that emphasizes the proper mechanics of pitching thus reducing the risk of injury.

A-One thing I think about when you are talking about young kids and learning the game, learning fundamentals. The ball kids play with weighs too much. Take a major league ball vs the weight of the player throwing it. The ball kids use is not much different in size and weight but the player throwing it is vastly smaller and lighter. One of the things I did when I was young was, and my father taught me this way, to learn to throw using a tennis ball. The weight of a baseball is, in my opinion, way too heavy for 5-10 year old kids to learn proper throwing mechanics and fundamentals with. I watched this very thing with my first son. Gehrig’s throwing mechanics are perfect for a young kid, when he’s throwing a tennis ball, when you put a baseball in their hands the weight drags the hand down below the slot they’d normally be throwing in and I think that causes a lot of unnecessary strain way too early. Kids have to almost ‘heave’ a baseball, which starts teaching them poor mechanics from day one. Put a tennis ball in their hands and the motion becomes the focus, not the strain of actually throwing the object.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 5:45 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

Lastly, off purehealthmd.com

What about pitches outside of a fastball and changeup. Should they be taught? When?

Curve balls, sliders and other breaking pitches should not be taught until: 1) The throwing mechanics are good, 2) The pitcher has good control with the fastball and changeup, and 3) The pitcher has reached skeletal maturity. Skeletal maturity can be estimated as when the athlete has developed facial hair, stopped growing in height, or other signs of completing puberty. Breaking pitches require the use of the wrist in a way that places excessive stress on the area of the elbow growth plate. If the growth plate is still actively changing, injury can easily occur. If improper throwing mechanics are combined with early attempts at throwing breaking pitches, injury is even more likely.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 6:05 PM on April 21

In other news, Curt Schilling named his kid "Gehrig".
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 6:32 PM on April 21 [3 favorites has favorites]

Monday night, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior lefthander struck out 17 Pasco High batters en route to a 5-0 no-hit win - his fourth in a row.

17 batters is six innings of strikeouts in the game. He's K'd 110 batters in 53 innings. That's 2 strikeouts per inning average. Wow.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:32 PM on April 21

Two words for those of you who followed HS ball in Texas in the late-80's:

Jon Peters.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 6:38 PM on April 21

Yea, they hardly ever let Kazmir go past 5 or 6 innings. There are a few freaky guys out there who can go 7 or 8 innings 35 times a season (Santana and Sabathia, I'm looking at you!) but then there are guys like Cole Hamels who had a big jump in innings last year and now can't throw over 90 and has a flat, high changeup that gets tattooed worse than a drunk sorority girl on a dare. So yea, pitch counts may be a good idea. I worry about Sabathia, honestly, because the Brew crew treated him like a fuckin' rental car last year, knowing they couldn't re-sign him.

Anyway, Lacking Subtlety, thanks for the good advice on throwing, my son is just starting in Tee-ball and loves to throw.
posted by Mister_A at 6:40 PM on April 21

Two consecutive posts, same message: Intellectual stimuli, overrated.

Nobody made you click on them. Its as if you believe every post on the site should be specifically geared to you. Much classyer to just let us have our fun and move to the next link.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:45 PM on April 21 [1 favorite has favorites]

we dont have his number of pitches, which is what is way more important than the number of IP
posted by knockoutking at 6:53 PM on April 21

True, knockoutking, but one can infer from the high number of strikeouts that he's tossed a lot of pitches.
posted by Mister_A at 6:59 PM on April 21

This kid will almost certainly need Tommy John surgery before he comes anywhere near a pro career.

Prediction: He'll be drafted, signed, and sent for TJ surgery, whether he needs it yet or not.

That way he has a ligament 6x as strong to ruin later.
posted by rokusan at 7:17 PM on April 21

SpiffyRob- keep up with the baseball posts. I'm loving it!
posted by thekorruptor at 8:05 PM on April 21

If a pitcher gives up a hit to the first batter then gets 27 outs in a row does that count as a near no-hitter?

Not only can this happen but it has happened. Nine times. Here is the relevant portion of wikipedia's perfect game entry.

In the nine, the leadoff batter (or batters) reached base in the first inning, followed by 27 consecutive batters (or batters and baserunners) being retired through the end of a nine-inning game. In one case, the leadoff baserunner was retired, meaning the pitcher faced the minimum:

* On June 30, 1908, Red Sox pitcher Cy Young walked the Highlanders'(Yankees) leadoff batter, Harry Niles, who was caught stealing. No one else reached base against Young, who also had three hits and four RBIs in Boston's 8-0 win. It was the third no-hitter of Young's career and about as close as possible to being his second perfect game.[citation needed]

The remaining instances in which a pitcher recorded 27 consecutive outs in a game, noting how the opponent's leadoff batter (or batters) reached base:

* July 23, 1880, Monte Ward/Providence Grays (single by Cincinnati Red Stockings' Blondie Purcell)[citation needed]
* May 24, 1884, Al Atkinson/Philadelphia Athletics (single by Pittsburgh Alleghenys' Ed Swartwood, who stole second, reached third on a groundout, and scored on a passed ball)[citation needed]
* May 16, 1953, Curt Simmons/Philadelphia Phillies (single by Milwaukee Braves' Bill Bruton)
* May 13, 1954, Robin Roberts/Phillies (home run by Reds' Bobby Adams)
* July 1, 1966, Woodie Fryman/Pittsburgh Pirates (single by New York Mets' Ron Hunt)
* May 19, 1981, Jim Bibby/Pirates (single by Atlanta Braves' Terry Harper)
* April 22, 1993, Chris Bosio/Seattle Mariners (walks by Red Sox Ernest Riles and Carlos Quintana, the latter of whom was retired on a double play)
* July 7, 2006, John Lackey/Los Angeles Angels (double by Oakland A Mark Kotsay)

posted by Bonzai at 9:48 PM on April 21

* July 7, 2006, John Lackey/Los Angeles Angels (double by Oakland A Mark Kotsay)

I was at that game. True story: after Kotsay doubled to start off the game, the friend I was watching the game with said, "Well, there goes the no-hitter!" Ho ho ho. It wasn't until we were walking out of the park, talking about how short the game had been (2 hours, max), that we realized it would have been a perfect game.
posted by chalkbored at 9:18 AM on April 22

ESPN has a new article on the kid.
posted by inigo2 at 12:45 PM on April 22

Nice find, though that be CNNSI, not the WWL. From the article:

"He has a stiff upright delivery with little drive coming from his lower-half. He doesn't stay back. He throws a little secondary kick with his front foot before landing. He doesn't follow through, and on some pitches finishes his delivery well across his body. It doesn't look pretty, and if you watched him in the bullpen playing catch, you might not think of Schuster as a pro prospect.

"The game is a different story. If I have to win one high school game, right now, I'd pick Patrick Schuster over anyone else I've seen around the country."

And that, I think, is what we're all worried about. Right now, he may be the absolute best at what he's doing among those who are doing it. Once what he's doing changes, there's really no way of knowing what the result will be, though the odds are surely against him.
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:03 PM on April 22 [2 favorites has favorites]

And that, I think, is what we're all worried about. Right now, he may be the absolute best at what he's doing among those who are doing it. Once what he's doing changes, there's really no way of knowing what the result will be, though the odds are surely against him.
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:03 PM on April 22 [1 favorite -] Favorite added! [!]

Agreed. This kid has reliever written all over him to be honest. His short delivery. Being lefty. I just see an injury in the next couple years and he's probably gonna end up in bullpen. Which, you know, isn't such a bad thing.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 1:36 PM on April 22

Nice find, though that be CNNSI, not the WWL.

I obviously spend too much time on the internet. And also I'm a moron.
posted by inigo2 at 1:43 PM on April 22

Some updates:

MLB's fifth near-no-no: Dave Bush goes 7 and 1/3.

Schuster's next start (I refuse to say "Schuster tries for his fifth straight!") is on Tuesday.

12-year-old Mackenzie Brown pitches a perfect game.
posted by SpiffyRob at 5:50 AM on April 25

And the superstition proves correct: You cannot make a MeFi post after a pitcher pitches four consecutive no-hitters or he will not pitch a fifth.
posted by SpiffyRob at 3:09 PM on April 28

Five straight no-hitters (including 4 perfect games), and a career high school ERA of .006

Schuster can suck it.
posted by dersins at 1:01 PM on May 1

That's awesome, dersins. Softball is dominated by pitchers like her. Whenever I get a chance to see college softball games before the playoffs (which is a lot harder than it ought to be, really) I'm always surprised at how few baserunners there are in games. Two hits or fewer is not uncommon at all. It tends to even out when it's two quality teams facing each other, but still, you see plenty of games where one team gets one hit and the other gets two, and the latter team wins because they were able to sac fly in an error+steal or something similar.

Meanwhile, back in the pros, Matt Garza shakes it up a bit by taking a perfect game into the seventh.
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:48 PM on May 1