Michael Lorenzen throws 14th no-hitter in Phillies history

Michael Lorenzen has thrown the 14th no-hitter in Philadelphia Phillies history in a 124-pitch, five strikeout masterpiece against the Washington Nationals.

Lorenzen was acquired eight days ago at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers and has not disappointed in the slightest. His first start was in Miami where he went eight innings and recorded the win, and his second start was in front of the Phillies faithful in Citizens Bank Park where he treated the raucous crowd to a special night. 

The 31-year-old issued a walk in the first inning but was given run support by the team right away as they scored three runs in the bottom half of the first. He then issued another walk to the first batter in the second inning but then followed that up with eight straight outs. He surrendered two more walks, one in the fourth inning and another in the sixth but was able to work around those quickly. He found a groove and never let up by pounding the zone and forcing the Nationals players to put balls in play. He recorded 15 outs in air, six on the ground and five strikeouts. He had everything in his arsenal working but relied heavily, as he typically does, on the four-seam fastball, slider and changeup. 

The crowd of 30,406 cheered on every out pushing him further and further into the game and giving him the juice to throw his career high in pitches. In the post game interview, Lorenzen credited Rob Thomson on letting him stay in the game, saying that he felt good, it was a cool night and the crowd energy kept him going. In today’s game, it is increasingly  rare to see a pitcher throw much more than 100 pitches let alone 120+ but the faith and trust Thomson has shown in his team enabled this special night. Lorenzen’s mom was ecstatically cheering him on in the crowd even mouthing “one more pitch” as Lorenzen buckled down to get Dominic Smith to fly out to center field. 

This is the first Phillies no-hitter since Cole Hamels’ did it in his last game in a Phillie uniform in 2015 in Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. The last no hitter in front of the home crowd was in 2010 by Roy Halladay in game one of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds. This is also J.T. Realmuto’s second no-hitter that he has caught with the first being with the Marlins in 2017. 

Dave Dombrowski added Michael Lorenzen at the deadline knowing he can be a difference maker for this team, and he has shined bright so far. It will be a tough act to follow but a Lorenzen has officially cemented his place in Phillies history.