Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas was one shot away from scoring a no-hitter in St. Louis Tuesday night when a Pittsburgh Pirates batter threw the party into midfield with a batted ball.
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“Everything was going well and I was super excited, but sometimes you take the opportunity and sometimes you don’t,” Mikolas philosophized after the game, according to comments reported on Major League Baseball’s website. We made some good plays during the game. That was a really good shot that hit well, that happens.”
The end of the game broke the hearts of many fans who had gathered at Busch Stadium. However, it should be noted that Mikolas had already missed an opportunity to sign the more famous feat of a game without a run or a shot, as the opponent crossed home plate once early in the fourth inning after a defensive error and two picks .
Just a few centimetres
Mikolas, 33, still had nothing to blame after conceding just one hit in eight and two-thirds innings in the Cards’ 9-1 win over the Pirates. It was Cal Mitchell, with two balls and two strikes, who refused to make up his team’s 27th out.
Mitchell hit the ball solidly just outside of outfielder Harrison Bader’s reach. So Mikolas was not only out of the game one shot without a hit, but also a few centimeters in the event of a spectacular catch by his teammate.
“If Bader didn’t catch that ball, there’s nobody in this league who could have caught it,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
“It was very close and it’s a shame. I want to play every game defensively, said Bader, who was also a 2021 Golden Glove winner. I don’t think it’s impossible to be able to do every game. It’s not my vision and next time you have to try to be better.”
A fifth win
In the end, Mikolas put in an outstanding performance with 129 throws on the pass, and it would have taken a spectacular game for Bader to pull off that takedown.
Reliever Packy Naughton was eventually used to complete the game. As for Mikolas (5-4), who has at least a fifth win on his tally this season, he now has a earned running average of 2.62.