WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – Jordan Zimmermann took his rightful place in Nationals history in the team’s regular season finale Sunday, throwing the franchise’s first ever no-hitter.
Nine innings: 0 hits. 0 runs. 0 earned runs. 1 base on balls. 10 strikeouts.
A near perfect pitching line for Zimmermann in his 14th win of the season, and the Nationals’ 96th. And yet, it was nearly broken up in pursuit of the 27th out of the game.
Zimmermann — after getting the first two outs in the ninth inning, and after an entire day’s worth of spectacular supporting defensive play by his Nationals teammates — took Marlins center-fielder Christian Yelich to a 2-1 count on a 94-mph four-seam fastball, for a called strike, a 95-mph four-seam fastball, for a ball, and an 80-mph curveball for a ball.
Yelich sent the fourth pitch, a 94-mph four-seam fastball, blistering toward the left field wall.
Zimmermann shrugged his shoulders, thinking his potential historic outing had reached an anticlimactic conclusion.
“Sure double,” he said, after the game, of how he thought that pitch would play out.
But the rookie, Steven Souza Jr., a defensive substitution for Ryan Zimmerman in the ninth, left his feet to make the most unlikely diving, game-winning catch, cementing Zimmermann’s first-career no hitter.
Watch the final out at the bottom, and preserve this memory in Nationals and MLB history forever.
Here it is: the final out of Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter, fresh out of @StevenSouzaJR's glove! #JZimm http://t.co/mJJDRmPYp6
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Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 28, 2014"Those guys have been playing great behind me all year. To end it like this was special." -- Jordan Zimmermann
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Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 28, 2014"The one walk still burns me a little bit, but I guess we can live with that." -- Jordan Zimmermann #NoHitter
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Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 28, 2014That is one of the greatest endings to a no-hitter you will EVER see!
WHAT A CATCH! Gotta love #Game162.
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(@MLB) September 28, 2014Here’s Charlie Slowes with the game-winning radio call.
Video of J Zimm during last moments, via @MLBNetwork. Pretty great m.youtube.com/watch?v=Szlmxj…
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Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) September 28, 2014Sept. 28, 2014 was an all-around historic day for the Washington Nationals.
Denard Span #2 of the Washington Nationals thanks the fans after breaking Nationals single season hit record, with 184 hits, surpassing Cristian Guzman, in the third inning during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on September 28, 2014 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
