Just when you thought the crazy “Year of the Pitcher” couldn’t get any more nuts.
Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter on Friday, the fourth thrown in the Majors this season – well, five if you include Armando Galaragga’s perfect game that was robbed by a missed call from umpire Jim Joyce – was among the most unconventional the game has seen.
Eight walks. A hit batter. An error. One-hundred forty-nine pitches. About as far from perfection as you can get.
But in the midst of a second straight miserable season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jackson’s history making outing provided a reprieve. He labored, throwing 68 pitches in the first three innings. Most watching probably didn’t guess Jackson would make it out of the fifth inning, much less throw a no-hitter.
But there he was, becoming just the second Diamondbacks pitcher to hurl a no-no, following Randy Johnson’s legendary perfecto against the Atlanta Braves in 2004.
It wasn’t easy. It was hardly pretty to watch. As a result of the mammoth pitch count, Jackson will likely miss his next start. But on one crazy night, in the middle of a difficult year, D-backs fans had something to cheer about.
