Last Thursday, I checked something off my bucket list – for the first time ever, I saw a no-hitter at Nats Park. Of course God had the last laugh. The Nats were no-hit by San Diego’s Dylan Cease.  I guess beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to bucket list items. 

No-hitters are a rarity. There might be one or three in any given baseball season. That’s one or three no-hitters, out of the 2,430 games the 30 teams play each year, not counting the playoffs. I’ve seen many grand slam home runs over the years. I’ve seen walk-off homers.  I even checked off another bucket list item when I made a Nats World Series game in 2019 (they lost the game, but won the series). But a no-hitter?  That’s a big no-no never. Until July 26th, 2024. 

The game started at noon and at 12:15, there was a rain delay of 76 minutes. The first half inning wasn’t even over. When the game resumed around 1:30, Nat’s pitcher Corbin gave up three runs. Ugghhh. After that, he settled down and both Corbin and Cease were pitching well.

At the top of the 6th, I looked at my watch. Holy Cow! It was only 2:30.  4 1/2 innings were covered in one hour. THAT is some fast and effective pitching. It was also about then I noticed the Nats didn’t yet have a hit. Still plenty of time for that. 

By the 7th, we were talking about the possibility amongst ourselves. The Nats went no-where that inning. You could feel the tension mounting in the park. 

The 8th – the same thing. Cease got the side out on 9 pitches total. We were all talking. Could this/would this really happen?

And then it was the 9th. Vargas made him work for an eight-pitch groundout. Young ground out on the next pitch, and a yell went up inside the park. Abrams came up with two outs.  He hit a low liner that looked like it might drop, and NO! The right fielder caught it!

The San Diego fans in the stadium let out a roar. And then the Nats fans stood up and the vast majority of us also started clapping. Not for the Padres winning, but the superb effort Cease had given. You can honor effort and history without disrespecting your team and that’s what we were doing. Against the Nats, I wouldn’t have said he was dominant, but he was d@mned efficient. 

It turns out Cease has only given up two hits in the last 22 innings he has pitched. The man is currently on fire. It’s also worth pointing out he played for the White Sox before this season. Jerry Reinsdorf traded him away at the start of this season.  Did I mention no one in Chicago cares much for Reinsdorf these days?

And the Nats?  Since baseball returned to Washington in 2005, it’s only the second time they’ve been no-hit in the last 14 years. 

I’ve thought about my emotions at the end of the game.  Through the 8th, I was hoping for a hit and a rally from the Nats. In the 9th? I was holding my breath, and to be honest, I’m not quite sure what I hoped. For the Nats to win?  Certainly. But on that last at bat?  Two outs? Yea, maybe I was holding my breath, waiting to see if history would be made.  I know after the right fielder caught the line drive, I too rose, and softly clapped. You can honor effort and history without disrespecting your team.