With a name like Homer, baseball fans would think Homer Bailey would be making history with his bat. Instead, the Cincinnati Reds pitcher became the sixth player in history to throw consecutive no-hitters within Major League Baseball.No, Bailey did not accomplish this in consecutive starts. It is still a remarkable accomplishment. According to ESPN, Bailey threw consecutive no-hitters between 17 starts, which ties him for the seventh shortest span. Bailey also was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter this year, and the 31st MLB pitcher in history to throw multiple no-hitters.
According to Yahoo Sports, this is also the first no-hitter thrown in Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. The field opened in 2003.
Bailey dominated the defending champion San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. Bailey struck out nine, and threw just over 100 pitches. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said this was an “easy” no-hitter. Bochy told reporters, “It was a pretty easy no-hitter. We didn’t hit too many balls hard. There weren’t any tough plays.”
However, there was one play that almost cost Bailey his no-hitter according to MLB.com. The Giants’ Gregor Blanco was walked in the top of the seventh inning. The next batter, Marco Scutaro grounded out, but was able to move Blanco over to second. Then, Buster Posey hit a one-hop grounder to Reds first baseman Joey Votto. Bailey hesitated, as he thought Votto was going to catch it on the fly. Votto started heading towards first, but then saw out of the corner of his eye, Blanco charging for third base. Votto threw over to third, and they caught Blanco in a run-down. Afterwards, Bailey told MLB.com, “I saw him throw it and I was like ‘What are you doing?’. He ended up getting the guy, so good play.”
According to ESPN, Bailey probably has the worst stats of the elite company he just joined. Bailey currently has a 4.36 career ERA, which is the worst out of any pitcher who has thrown multiple no-hitters. At one point Bailey was considered a draft bust. According to USA Today, Bailey was considered difficult to coach. He was drafted in 2004, and made his debut in 2007. After the 2011 season, Bailey was just 25-23 with a 4.98 ERA, and USA Today said he had yet to spend a full season in the majors.
Bailey bounced back. In 2012, he posted a 13-10 record with a 3.68 ERA. Still, not intimidating stats. Yet, Bailey found a way to toss two no-hitters in the last 10 months. Greg Maddux, whom is considered one of the best pitchers of all-time, never threw a no-hitter in his 23-year career. Never hurts to have luck on your side.
