CLEVELAND (AP) – Wade Miley pitched baseball’s second no-hitter in three days – and fourth already this season – leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 win Friday night over the Cleveland Indians, who were no-hit for the second time in a month. Miley (4-2) relied on breaking pitches and his experience of 11-plus major league seasons to baffle the Indians and throw Cincinnati’s first no-hitter since Homer Bailey in 2013.
“It feels surreal,” the 34-year-old said.
San Diego’s Joe Musgrove started the ‘21 no-hitter club by throwing the first in Padres’ history on April 9. The left-hander shook off an 83-minute rain delay to start the game and followed Baltimore’s John Means, who no-hit Seattle on Wednesday, to continue an early run of pitching gems in 2021 – quickly becoming the Year of the No-No. Five days later, Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodón blanked the Indians, just missing a perfect game when he hit a batter in the ninth inning.
Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner pitched a seven-inning no-hitter against Atlanta on April 25, but that one isn’t recognized as official because it didn’t go nine innings.
This is the earliest in a calendar year there have been four no-hitters since 1917, when the fourth was thrown on May 5 and the fifth on May 6. With hitters entering Friday, it’s no wonder they are batting a record-low .233 this season.
For their part, the Indians joined a dubious list by becoming the 16th team to be no-hit twice in the same season. It most recently happened in Seattle in 2019.
Miley walked one and struck out eight on 114 pitches.
“He put on a clinic,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
While Miley was blanking the Indians, Zach Plesac did the same to the Reds for eight innings before Cincinnati pushed three runs across in the ninth, helped by closer Emmanuel Clase’s throwing error and a balk. The Reds got a pair of singles before Clase (2-1) fielded an infield tapper and threw wide of second base, allowing Nick Senzel to score from second. Then, with runners at the corners.
Clase began his windup before stopping and trying to throw to second. Mike Moustakas, starting at first for the injured Joey Votto, followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0 and give Miley more cushion – but also more time to think about in the dugout. In the ninth, Miley retired pinch-hitter René Rivera on a lazy fly to the right, struck out César Hernández, and then retired Jordan Luplow on a grounder to third before he was mobbed by the Reds, who encircled him and danced across the grass. Miley came in just 1-4 in eight career starts against the Indians, batting only .213 as a team. But Cleveland has been as hot as any team, riding a five-game winning streak and winning nine of 11 to take over first in the AL Central.
