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Rays sweep Indians with a no-hitter that doesn’t count as one

Kevin Kiermaier has a big opener, then five pitchers hold the Indians hitless in the seven-inning second game MLB doesn’t consider an official no-hitter.
 
The Rays' Kevin Kiermaier celebrates at second base after hitting a two-run double off Indians starter J.C. Mejia during the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays' Kevin Kiermaier celebrates at second base after hitting a two-run double off Indians starter J.C. Mejia during the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Tropicana Field. [ STEVE NESIUS | Associated Press ]
Published July 7, 2021|Updated July 8, 2021

ST. PETERSBURG — Collin McHugh was sitting in the clubhouse Wednesday watching the final outs of the 4-0 victory — which followed the 8-1 opening win to complete the Rays’ doubleheader sweep of the Indians — when fellow reliever Diego Castillo raised a key point to him.

Papa, papa, I think it’s a no-hitter,’ ” McHugh relayed. “And I looked up and I was like, ‘I think it is, too.’ So there was a little confusion there on our part, but we had a good time with it.”

Their celebration was well-earned. And their confusion was understandable.

It was a no-hitter, in the fairly straightforward sense that the five Rays who pitched didn’t allow the Indians any hits over the scheduled seven-inning length of the game.

But it was not a no-hitter because Major League Baseball and its official statistician, the Elias Sports Bureau, decided and announced earlier this year that no-hitters have to be at least nine innings to count, and anything less than that would be considered “a notable achievement” instead.

Rays starter Collin McHugh pitches against the Indians during the second game of a doubleheader. [ STEVE NESIUS | Associated Press ]

“If MLB has come out and said that we’re not going to honor it, then I think that’s what we go with,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We can still appreciate it and certainly celebrate that the guys pitched really, really well. But, no, I’m not going to challenge how they view it.”

And it might not even be debatable if Indians manager Terry Francona is right and the scoring decision on a ball hit by Oscar Mercado in the third inning is changed on appeal to a hit.

“I’m guessing that a couple days from now they’ll have to go back and uncelebrate that,” Francona said.

The MLB rule first became widely known after the April 25 game when Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner held the Braves hitless, as the league had just switched just last year to the seven-inning format for doubleheaders.

The Rays — thanks to the quintet of McHugh, Josh Fleming, Castillo, Matt Wisler and Pete Fairbanks — were the second to do it. They didn’t protest too much.

Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks and Francisco Mejia, left, celebrate a 4-0 win over the Indians. [ STEVE NESIUS | Associated Press ]

“I don’t have a whole lot of opinions about it,” McHugh said. “I’ll probably leave that one to Bumgarner to talk about. But we celebrated like it was, so really, that’s all that matters to us is having a good time with it.”

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There was the additional layer of confusion due to the bouncing ball hit by Mercado, the Gaither High product.

Shortstop Taylor Walls went to his right to grab it, as third baseman Wander Franco cut over and ran into him, knocking the ball loose.

Official scorer Tim Clodjeaux initially ruled it a hit. But after watching several replays changed it an inning later to an error, deciding Mercado would not have beaten the throw had Walls made the play, and that Franco was to blame for forcing the collision.

Walls said the play should definitely have been scored an error from the start: “It’s a routine play for both of us, whether he makes it or I’ll make it. We both make that play 10 out of 10 times.”

For now, it was the second time in 24 seasons the Rays completed a game without allowing a hit, as Matt Garza threw an official no-hitter on July 26, 2010, against Detroit.

Rays third baseman Wander Franco, left, collides with shortstop Taylor Walls on a ground ball hit by the Indians' Oscar Mercado during the third inning. [ STEVE NESIUS | Associated Press ]

If Francona, who noted a similar play in the fifth by his infielders was scored a hit, is right and the scoring decision is overruled, then it won’t matter anyway.

The Rays didn’t seem too concerned.

“They make the rules and we’ve got to follow them,” Fairbanks said. “So we’ll take not giving up any hits and getting a W.”

That was what mattered most, as the sweep — just their sixth in 35 doubleheaders; this one caused by Tuesday’s postponement related to Hurricane Elsa — extended their win streak to four, improved their record to 51-36 and moved them back to within 2 ½ games of the division-leading Red Sox.

Kevin Kiermaier keyed their victory in the opener with a career-high five RBIs, doubling in two in a three-run first and hitting a three-run homer — his first at home since 2019 — in the third. Brandon Lowe, continuing his warming trend, and Brett Phillips also homered, and Vidal Brujan made am in impressive debut.

As importantly, Michael Wacha returned to a starting role and returned to form, working six strong innings.

Walls knocked in the first two runs in the second game, and both he and Franco made several dazzling defensive plays. Yandy Diaz knocked in the other two runs.

“You’ve got to stay locked in for a long, long day and it seemed like everybody that was called upon — pitcher, hitter, they were all ready to do their job,” Cash said “For us to pull out two wins is really, really nice.”

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