Smith-Shawver was on the verge of achieving the feat
Atlanta Braves’ young pitcher, AJ Smith-Shawver, was on the verge of writing his name in MLB history. In his most recent outing on the mound, the rookie was close to throwing a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds.
The tension in the stadium was palpable, so much so that his teammates began to avoid him, in an attempt not to “ruin” the streak.
The 22-year-old pitcher dominated the opposing offense for the first seven innings, but in the eighth inning, Santiago Espinal hit a single that broke the no-hitter dream.
I probably started to realize it in the fifth, and everyone really pulled away from me in the sixth and seventh. And I was like, OK, this is real. I just try to go out and execute pitches, just do the same thing I’ve been doing, but with a little more adrenaline.
Smith-Shawver
Despite not achieving the complete feat, the Braves’ fans recognized his effort with an ovation. Smith-Shawver himself expressed his emotion for the support received and the confidence that his teammates place in him.
Enyel De Los Santos entered the relief in the ninth inning to close the game, securing the victory of the Braves with a final score of 4-0.
Smith-Shawver, who was seeking the first no-hitter of the season, struck out five batters and issued four walks. The young pitcher shared a team in high school with Bobby Witt Jr., star of the Kansas City Royals, with whom he won a state championship in 2019.
This was Smith-Shawver’s fifth start for the Braves this season, his second since being called up from the minor leagues.
The last time the Braves achieved a no-hitter was on April 8, 1994, thanks to Kent Mercker.
The Braves’ shortstop, Nick Allen, made an outstanding defensive play that kept the no-hitter hope alive for a while.
All you want as a defender is to make plays for him, when you look at the scoreboard and see what you see, no hits or anything like that. You want to catch everything, dive for anything. Unfortunately, they got the one in the eighth. But he pitched very well today, and with conviction. And that’s all you can ask for. And when he does that, look what happens.
Allen
Smith-Shawver demonstrated great command of his pitching repertoire, including his fastball and breaking pitches.
