Corey Kluber Threw A No-Hitter!
Photo Via: @Yankees (Twitter)
He did it! The first career no-hitter for Corey Kluber! It happened to also be the first no-hitter for the Yankees this century, with the last being David Cone’s perfect game in 1999. My heart was racing for a few innings and I still cannot believe it finally happened.
The last time a Yankee took a no-hitter late into the game that I can remember was Phil Hughes in 2007, which was also in Texas. Hughes was a promising rookie in his second career start. In contrast, Corey Kluber is a guy who already has 2 Cy Young Awards on his trophy shelf, he has been an All-Star 3 times, and dominated major league baseball for years. For Kluber to be able to add this monumental single-game achievement is so much fun for the team, the fans, and more importantly, him.
The no-hitter is even sweeter for Kluber when you consider a few things. First, he has been hampered by injuries over the past two seasons. He threw just 35.2 innings in 2019 and only 1 inning in 2020. Tonight, he threw 9 innings and 101 pitches. The feeling of going the distance after years of injury concerns and rehabilitation must be so fulfilling.
Second, he pitched his 1 inning in 2020 in the same stadium he threw last night’s no-hitter, but for the home team Rangers. Kluber returned to Globe Life Field and replaced the memory of him leaving the mound injured with a fond and unforgettable success story.
Third, the Rangers distributed Corey Kluber bobbleheads to fans at the gates in the stadium last night. Since they were unable to do the giveaway last season, the Rangers had a surplus of Kluber bobbleheads laying around and decided to unload the inventory for Kluber’s return to Texas. Kluber, a visiting player, pitched a no-hitter on his own bobblehead night!
Lastly, Kluber signed a one-year, $11 million “prove-it” deal with the Yanks. His future in baseball is going to be shaped heavily based on what he is able to do this season. A no-hitter will go a long way towards making the back of his baseball card show 2021 as a successful season.
Now, I know there will be critics. Kluber’s no-hitter was the 6th of the season in MLB (7th if you count Bumgarner’s 7-inning no-hit bid) and the second in as many days league-wide. Regardless, what Kluber did was incredible and historic.
Kluber’s unnamed breaking ball was out of this world last night (7 whiffs on 12 swings). A lot of the recent talk about Kluber’s pitch mix focused on the increased usage of his changeup. Last night, Kluber used the changeup 18 times, but threw the breaking ball 31 times. He mixed the two pitches with a sinker (23 pitches) and a cutter (27 pitches). His best pitch of the night froze Joey Gallo for strike three.
Aside from Kluber, there were a couple unsung heroes to help make the night what it was. Kyle Higashioka caught all 9 frames of the no-hitter, and he was seemingly on the same page with The Klubot the entire time. Higgy allowed Kluber to work quickly and stay in rhythm.
Tyler Wade was another hero. Wade entered as an injury replacement for Ryan LaMarre, who pulled his hamstring early in the game. Wade promptly knocked in the Yanks’ first run by way of a triple for the speedster. He then went out to man right field: a position he had logged just 2 major league starts at. Wade handled it perfectly. He showed great range and a knack for tracking fly balls.
Truth be told, there was not an iconic play that “saved” the no-hitter. There were some nice ones, like Wade’s catch in right field, and Urshela and LeMahieu grabbing tough one-hoppers. But the final out was what will stick in my head: the Yankees finally got a no-hitter.
Photo Via: @Yankees (Twitter)