Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
On Tuesday night every fan of Major League Baseball was privy to what would have been one of the most historic nights in the majestic history of the game. St. Louis Cardinals rookie starting pitcher Michael Wacha came literally inches away from throwing a no-hitter on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. The fact that it came against the now eliminated Nationals makes some suggest that they are just not trying tonight but nothing could be further from the truth. Wacha threw a no-hit shutout for 8-2/3 innings because he is a wonderfully great young starter.
It isn’t that difficult to glance back at his starts this season. His overall ERA is somewhat misleading because a lot of his outings this season have come as a reliever. When you look only at the nine starts he has made however, the picture of how good he is becomes crystal clear. Of those nine starts he held the opposition to two or fewer runs in six of them. In four of the starts the opposing team managed less than four hits.
Wacha has shown the ability to not only shut down opposing teams but to shut down good ones. For example this is the third start of the season, and of September, that has seen Wacha give up zero runs. The other two were a six inning outing against the Cincinnati Reds where he held them to 3 hits and the Pittsburgh Pirates who managed only 2 hits over seven innings.
If he can shutout those playoff teams then you can bet he is good enough to shut down another good team in the Nationals. Face it; this kid is just that good. I know St. Louis fans along with the rest of us will enjoy watching his career unfold.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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