Who I Am, and Jonathan Sanchez, Bravo.

Hello fellow sports fans. I am Ryan D. Smith (yes my name is so general that I do need to specify my middle initial). I reside in Doylestown, PA, an hour north of Philly, so naturally, I live and bleed red, orange, and green, depending on the season. I will be attending Penn State University this fall, majoring in broadcast journalism. My dream is to be the play by play announcer for the Philadelphia Flyers. I know everything possible about the NHL, and let's just say I'm not a fan of some aspects of it.

I do have a bit of an edge to some of my opinions. I certainly don't shy away from speaking my mind. My only request of everyone is that, love or hate my opinion, be respectful to me, personally.



So, details about me aside, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge young San Francisco Giants lefthander Jonathan Sanchez, who tonight threw a no hitter, retiring 27 of 28 San Diego Padres, with the lone blemish being an error committed by Giant third baseman Juan Uribe in the 8th inning.

It was the Giants' first no hitter since 1976, and the first thrown by a Giant in AT&T Park. The entire game, Sanchez worked a nasty 11 to 5 curveball that had even the best San Diego hitters baffled.

Perhaps the best part of this story, though, is the fact that, first of all, Sanchez was given a spot start in this game, replacing an injured Randy Johnson! He had been 2-8 on the season, and had just recently been sent to the bullpen. Boy, did he ever make the most of his second chance in the rotation! And secondly, his father was in the crowd, witnessing his son pitch for the FIRST time in Jonathan's big league career. Their embrace after the game was a chilling moment; your trademark "I'm proud of you son", "Thanks Dad", moment. That's always a great thing to see.

So this no hitter from a guy who was 2-8 on the season got me thinking just how elusive the no hitter has been in big league history. ALL of the following pitchers (Legends, in some cases) never threw one: Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Steve Carlton. Those are five of the most renowned names in pitching history, and yet it is the Jonathan Sanchezes, Clay Buchholzs, and Bud Smiths of the world who have thrown them.

It is quite an elusive feat, indeed. 22 pitchers this year have taken no-nos into the 7th. Sanchez is the first to complete the job. Heck, the New York Mets, in over 45 years of baseball, have had ZERO. And it still haunts them, just like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers never having a kick return touchdown (would someone tell me if that is still accurate, by the way?).

In short, enjoy this one, Jonathan, and you have something many hall of fame pitchers can never claim to have experienced in their storied careers.


UPDATE: The Bucs do, in fact, have a kick return TD. It happened in 2007. Michael Spurlock. Thanks to Chris for this detail.


Image courtesy Associated Press, July 10, 2009