It was 11:07 p.m. when left-hander Wade Miley etched his name into the history books with the 17th no-hitter in Cincinnati Reds history and the 309th no-hitter ever pitched in Major League Baseball.
Miley needed only eight pitches – two minutes and 14 seconds – to record all three outs in the ninth inning. The last out was a ground ball to shortstop Kyle Farmer, a fitting way to end the no-hitter because Miley induced 15 groundouts and allowed only three balls out of the infield.
As soon as Farmer completed his throw to first baseman Mike Moustakas, the celebration was on.
Miley screamed, “Let’s go!”
Barnhart pumped his fist and sprinted to the mound to jump into Miley’s arms.
Teammates from all directions converged on Miley, spraying him with water and jumping up and down on the left side of the mound. Guys from the bullpen rubbed his head once they completed their sprint from the outfield.
'It's just so far-fetched':Wade Miley throws his first career no-hitter
After everyone had to jump around with him and rub his head, teammates followed him around to continue the celebration. There were high-fives. There were hugs. Barnhart found him for another bear hug.
“I’ll never forget this,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I will never forget the look on Wade’s face. It’s really special for everybody to be a part of, but I’m so glad he enjoyed every moment, especially the part with his teammates because I know he’ll never forget it. But I don’t think any of us will.”
Miley’s teammates didn’t want the celebration to end. Many of them waited in the dugout as Miley embraced the coaching staff for hugs and tipped his cap to the Reds fans who were celebrating in the ballpark. Guys who had already hugged him on the field hugged him again.
In an interview 15 minutes later, Miley said it hadn’t sunk in yet. He couldn’t believe it. His teammates felt similar emotions, some saying they were speechless in the clubhouse.
“I’ve been pretty lucky to do some cool things, personally, in this game – won a couple of Gold Gloves,” Barnhart said. “But this is far and away, far and away, the coolest thing that I’ve ever done in my career.”
“It’s the coolest thing I’ve been a part of on the baseball field,” Jesse Winker said. “That was unbelievable.”
More: Wade Miley pitched the 17th no-hitter in Cincinnati Reds history. Here are all of them.
Before Miley began his on-field interview with Bally Sports Ohio, he looked over to his teammates and tried to wave off a Gatorade bath. He’s spent 11 years in the big leagues; he knew it was coming.
“It’s going to be so cold,” he said. “Get out of here with that mess.”
Winker and Tyler Naquin were undeterred, dropping orange Gatorade and ice over Miley’s head as he tried to duck. About 10 seconds later, Miley had a shower of wrapped bubble gum pieces over his head.
The celebration continued in the Progressive Field visitor’s clubhouse. Coors Light was the beverage of choice.
Miley joked with Bell that he might need 12 days off between his next start. Players were laughing with each other when they rotated for interviews with reporters on Zoom.
“Wade is one of my favorite teammates that I’ve had,” Castellanos said. “He couldn’t be any more real. He’s going to shoot you straight. He’s going to be honest. He’s going to tell you his opinion. The only time that he’s calm is during the game. When it’s not the game, he’s bouncing off the walls. When it’s time to go, he’s right where he needs to be. There are no accidents and it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”
“I don’t know that I’ve ever been a part of anything," Bell said, "in many years in the game where it was this joyful and just truly authentically happy for one player."
When Friday’s game was scoreless heading into the top of the ninth inning, Bell said he sensed an extra determination from hitters to score a run for Miley. He was so close to history, and yet, they needed a run to give him a chance at it.
“In the eighth inning coming off the field,” Barnhart said, “I found myself thinking – pardon my language – but I’ll be damned if we go into this thing, we get this far into a no-hitter and we don’t score any runs.”
The Reds scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to set up Miley’s historic moment. In his 255th career start, he pitched a no-hitter. It was a moment all pitchers dream about.
And with the way his teammates reacted, they were living the dream right along with him.
“His personality is so infectious,” Barnhart said. “He’s just a genuinely great dude. I can’t really say it any way other than that. Everybody in the locker room loves him. I’ve never really seen an entire team so happy for just one person in my career. I’m very, very, very lucky, fortunate and grateful to be a part of that tonight.”
Miley, in his post-game interview, thanked Barnhart several times for his work behind the plate. He thanked the training staff, a group that helps him for hours some days as he tries to prevent the groin injury that bothered him last year. He thanked his family and "just everybody."
"What happened today," Miley said, "is pretty special."
Source link
