A baseball season defined by pitching excellence took another fascinating turn on Friday when Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks threw the majors’ fourth no-hitter this season. It was, perhaps, the most improbable no-hitter in years.
Facing one of his former teams, the Tampa Bay Rays, Jackson allowed eight walks in a 1-0 victory at Tropicana Field. In an era marked by rigid adherence to pitch counts, Jackson threw 149 pitches, the most in the majors since 2005.
“Definitely that was a pretty controversial move, especially with me having thrown so many pitches,” Jackson said on the Diamondbacks’ postgame show, referring to Manager A. J. Hinch’s decision to leave him in. “But I just told him, ‘I’m not coming out.’ ”
The last pitcher to throw as many pitches in a game was Livan Hernandez, who threw 150 for Washington on June 3, 2005. The only other pitcher in the last 10 years to throw 149 pitches in a game was Arizona’s Randy Johnson in 2002.
Jackson showed little sign of fatigue on Friday, pumping his fastball at 96 miles an hour in the ninth inning. He issued his eighth walk with two out in the ninth but then retired Jason Bartlett on a grounder to short to end the game.
In Chicago last July, Bartlett made the last out of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game, also by bouncing to short. Oakland’s Dallas Braden pitched another perfect game against the Rays on May 9, and Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay matched the feat 20 days later against Florida.
Detroit’s Armando Galarraga lost a perfect game with two out in the ninth inning on June 2 when the first-base umpire, Jim Joyce, missed a call.
Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez threw the season’s first no-hitter, in Atlanta on April 17. The record for no-hitters in a season is seven, set in 1990 and matched in 1991.
Jackson made the All-Star team for Detroit last season, but he has been erratic with the Diamondbacks, allowing 11 hits in consecutive starts early this season. Coming into Friday’s game, he ranked in the top 10 in the National League in hits, walks, earned runs, losses and wild pitches.
When asked in spring training about his success with the Tigers, Jackson talked about improving his control.
“Just making them put the ball in play, being aggressive and staying aggressive,” he said. “That just helped cut down my walks and everything, staying around the plate. It just came with experience. The more you get a chance to throw, the more you stay around the plate, the more chances you have to be successful.”
But Jackson had trouble finding the plate early on Friday, walking two in the first inning, two in the second and three in the third. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.
The last pitcher to allow eight walks in a no-hitter was A. J. Burnett, who walked nine for Florida at San Diego in 2001.
The Cardinals’ Bud Smith threw a no-hitter against the Padres a few months later; the Rays became the first team since then to be no-hit twice in the same season.
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