KING FELIX’S NO-HIT BAD LUCK CONTINUES

Loses 3rd No-Hitter in 9th; 2nd in as Many Starts

 

SEATTLE, Aug. 11 (AP) – For the second consecutive start—and for the third time this season—Felix Hernandez lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning, but the Seattle Mariners held on and defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 at Safeco Field.  Hernandez retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth inning with the no-hitter intact but yielded a two-out double to Melky Cabrera to break it up.  It was the second time this year that Hernandez has lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning.  On the other occasion, on June 13 against the Texas Rangers at Safeco, Rougned Odor tripled.  In just his last start, on August 5, Hernandez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves but, with one out, he walked Tommy LaStella and then yielded a tape measure game-tying home run to Freddie Freeman before a stunned Safeco crowd.

 

Only five different pitchers have taken no-hitters into the ninth inning this major league season.  Two—Jon Niese of the New York Mets and Jeff Samardzija, then of the Chicago Cubs, now with the Oakland A’s—completed the task.  Hernandez is the only big league starter to carry a no-hitter into the ninth inning more than once.

 

The Mariners tallied single runs in the third and fourth innings off Jays starter Drew Hutchinson.  In the fourth, Endy Chavez led off with a single and Brad Miller followed with a double, leaving runners on second and third.  After Austin Jackson popped out, Dustin Ackley lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Chavez to give Seattle the lead.  In the fourth, Kendrys Morales led off with a home run to make it 2-0. 

 

Hernandez carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, but lost it with a lead-off walk to Muneori Kawaskaki.  Kawasaki was immediately erased when Cabrera grounded into a double play, but Hernandez then walked Jose Bautista on four pitches.  Bautista took second when Hernandez uncorked a wild pitch, but Colby Rasmus struck out to end the inning.

 

The Mariners gave Hernandez some breathing room when a two-out rally led to a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.  Kyle Seager doubled into the right field corner off Bret Cecil and, after Mike Zunino was walked intentionally, Logan Morrison roped a double to left-center, scoring both runners.  Hernandez took a 4-0 lead into the ninth.

 

With the crowd of 15,815 on its feet, Hernandez retired Anthony Gose and Kawasaki on routine ground balls.  That brought Cabrera, the number six hitter in batting average in the American League, to the plate.  Hernandez came in with a first pitch fastball and Cabrera ripped it past first baseman Morrison down the right field line for a double.  The crowd, momentarily stunned, gave Hernandez, who was visibly upset, a standing ovation.  With the four-run advantage, Hernandez was given a chance to finish the game off but he fell behind Bautista who drilled a 2-1 fastball deep into the left field seats for his 27th home runs of the year,  cutting the Seattle lead to 4-2.  Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon had anticipated this possibility, having hurriedly gotten closer Fernando Rodney up in the bullpen after the Cabrera double, while simultaneously sending pitching coach Rick Waits to the mound to stall for time.  Now he went to the mound himself, to remove Hernandez from the game.  The Mariners right-hander received a raucous ovation from the crowd as he made his way slowly to the dugout.  Rodney quickly validated McClendon’s decision, fanning Rasmus on three pitches to earn his 32nd save of the year. 

 

Despite the disappointment of the ninth inning, Hernandez was credited with his 11th win of the season.

 

 

8/11/2014, Tor14-Sea14, Safeco Field

 

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP

2014 Blue Jays         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2     2  2  1     2  0

2014 Mariners          0  0  1  1  0  0  0  2  x     4  9  1     7  1

 

Blue Jays            AB  R  H BI   AVG    Mariners             AB  R  H BI   AVG

Kawasaki          ss  3  0  0  0  .242    Jackson,A         cf  4  0  0  0  .291

Cabrera,Me        dh  4  1  1  0  .331    Ackley            lf  3  0  2  1  .257

Bautista          rf  3  1  1  2  .241    Cano              2b  4  0  0  0  .308

Rasmus,Col        cf  4  0  0  0  .242    Morales,K         dh  4  1  1  1  .226

Navarro,D         c   3  0  0  0  .267    Seager            3b  4  1  2  0  .284

Valencia          3b  3  0  0  0  .222    Zunino            c   3  1  1  0  .200

Francisco,J       1b  3  0  0  0  .240    Morrison          1b  3  0  1  2  .225

Tolleson,St       2b  3  0  0  0  .265    Chavez,En         rf  4  1  1  0  .230

Gose              lf  3  0  0  0  .242    Miller,B          ss  3  0  1  0  .199

                     29  2  2  2                               32  4  9  4

 

Blue Jays                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Hutchison        L 7-10          6.2  7  2  2  1  4  92  63  4.41

Cecil                            1.1  2  2  2  1  0  23  13  2.11

                                 8.0  9  4  4  2  4 115  76

 

Mariners                         INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Hernandez,F      W 11-8          8.2  2  2  2  2  8 112  75  2.85

Rodney           S 32            0.1  0  0  0  0  1   4   4  2.70

                                 9.0  2  2  2  2  9 116  79

 

E-Kawasaki, Miller,B. 2B-Cabrera,Me(38), Seager(22), Zunino(19),

Morrison(13), Miller,B(10). HR-Bautista(27), Morales,K(5).

RBI-Bautista 2(71), Ackley(51), Morales,K(31), Morrison 2(22). CS-Seager.

K-Cabrera,Me, Bautista, Rasmus,Col 3, Navarro,D, Tolleson,St, Gose 2, Zunino,

Morrison, Chavez,En, Miller,B. BB-Kawasaki, Bautista, Zunino, Morrison.

SF-Ackley. WP-Hernandez,F.

GWRBI: Ackley

Temperature: 71, Sky: clear, Wind: in from left at 2 MPH.

Attendance: 15,815

Game Time: 2:22