We almost had our fifth (sixth if you count Madison Bumgarner’s seven-inning gem against the Braves last month) no-hitter of 2021 Thursday in Seattle, where Indians ace Zach Plesac enjoyed a career-best outing against the Mariners.
The 6’3” right-hander gave a valiant effort but couldn’t quite finish the job, losing his no-hit bid on J.P. Crawford’s leadoff single to begin the eighth inning. Had he lasted another six outs, Plesac would have been the first Indian to throw a no-no since Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981, nearly 14 years before Plesac was born. It would have been fitting too, seeing as Plesac was on the mound both times Cleveland was no-hit earlier this year including last week against in-state rival Cincinnati.
Plesac’s gem against the Mariners, a team that, admittedly hasn’t hit much this year (league-worst .201 average), came under unusual circumstances. Apparently, the Tribe hurler forgot to pack his road spikes for the team’s trip to the Pacific Northwest, prompting the Indians’ equipment manager to spring for a fresh pair at the local Dick’s Sporting Goods. The series of events was reminiscent of an experience shared by former Red Sox ace Derek Lowe, who had his shoes stolen before his Game 7 start against the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series (Lowe had to black out the Reebok logo because he was a Nike athlete at the time). Dick’s didn’t have any spikes in Plesac’s exact size (13.5) or style (he's more of a "high top" guy), though he made it work with a pair of black Adidas size 13s.
Plesac didn’t seem fazed by the mishap, scattering two runs, three walks and a pair of hits over eight dominant frames in his “emergency” cleats. The win evened Plesac’s season record at 3-3 while running his unbeaten streak to four starts. The 26-year-old has worked hard to redeem himself since being demoted for violating COVID protocol last summer, submitting an impressive 0.83 ERA in three outings this month.
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