9 no-hit innings & a walk-off loss
PITTSBURGH — Rich Hill’s first 98 pitches left the Pirates confounded, occasionally fuming and absolutely hitless. His 99th turned a potentially historic night by the Dodgers lefty into something else entirely: A loss.
After Hill’s bid for a perfect game was spoiled by a leadoff error in the ninth inning, Josh Harrison started the 10th by connecting on an 88 mph fastball over the middle of the plate and sending a drive into the first row of seats in left field. It wrecked Hill’s improbable — and improbably lengthy — try at a no-hitter and lifted the Pirates to a stunning 1-0 win on Wednesday.
“It falls on me, this one — one bad pitch,” Hill said.
Dodgers left fielder Curtis Granderson made a fearless attempt to preserve the no-hitter, banging into the wall going for a catch. When the ball sailed inches past his outstretched glove, Harrison sprinted around the bases after his 16th home run while Hill (9-5) slowly walked off the field after being handed his first loss in nearly two months.
“I hit it and I knew I didn’t get it all,” Harrison said. “I knew I got enough.”
Just enough on a night Hill flirted with the 24th perfect game in major league history. His shot at joining one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs ended when third baseman Logan Forsythe couldn’t handle Jordy Mercer’s grounder opening the ninth. Hill retired the next three batters and manager Dave Roberts sent the 37-year-old Hill out for the 10th, a makeup call of sorts after Hill was pulled after seven innings and 89 pitches of perfection against Miami last September.
It turned out to be one batter too many, though both Hill and Roberts tried to downplay their disappointment.
“He competed, every pitch was with a purpose,” Roberts said. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get that one hit. We’ve done it all year long.”