Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett has thrown a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. In the first Dodgers no-no since Hideo Nomo’s gem against the Colorado Rockies in 1996, Beckett struck out six and issued three walks over 128 pitches in his first career no-hitter.
The no-hitter is the cherry on top of what has been a strong season for Beckett. Once considered a has-been, Beckett has rebounded from the infamous mega-trade to the Dodgers and injuries that plagued him last year to put together a 2.43 ERA and 3-1 record. While his fastball no longer sits at 95 MPH, Beckett has become a craftier pitcher. As exemplified in today’s game, he no longer simply blows away hitters with heat but hits spots and induces ground balls. While advanced metrics claim he should have an ERA closer to 4, this season has been an affirmation to the three-time All-Star and 2003 World Series MVP, when he twice mowed down a strong Yankees lineup. Interestingly enough, Beckett owned a 4.32 ERA in his previous 20 starts on the road, but evidently his woes on the road were not present today.
It’s also a sign of the struggles of the Phillies. Coming into today’s game they ranked 25th in the league in runs scored, and 17th in OBP. It’s the first time the Fightin’s have been no-hit since 1978, when Bob Forsch of the Cardinals silenced the Philadelphia lineup. Manager Ryne Sandberg is only getting consistent offensive production from Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd, which makes the offensive collapse of Domoinc Brown even harder to stomach. Brown is now only hitting .202/.254/.302, a far cry from his 27 homer campaign last year.
Beckett received six runs worth of support in his bid, headlined by a long Justin Turner homer to center field off AJ Burnett, his second of the year.
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