The Cleveland Indians nearly threw the first no-hitter of the 2019 season against the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a 4-1 victory on Thursday night (box score). It was a staff effort, with Trevor Bauer handling the first seven innings before manager Terry Francona turned the bid over to relievers Jon Edwards and Brad Hand. They weren't able to get the job done, otherwise they would have cemented the first combined no-hitter since last May, when four members of the Los Angeles Dodgers managed the feat against the San Diego Padres.
Despite throwing 64 percent strikes on the night, Bauer required 117 pitches to get through his seven innings of work. He walked six and even hit a batter. At one point, Bauer's location issues were such that he loaded the bases with nobody out … only to recover by striking out the next two hitters and inducing a harmless line out. Bauer, who had eight strikeouts, helped his cause by generating 18 swinging strikes, including six on his knuckle curveball, per Statcast.
Edwards continued the night's theme. Though he recorded two outs (both on strikes), he also issued two walks and hit a batter. Francona yanked him with the bases loaded in order to insert Hand, who subsequently coerced a threat-ending pop-up. Hand returned in the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Freddy Galvis to break up the no-no. Alen Hanson then added a single and Teoscar Hernandez a double that ended the shutout. Hand did strike out the next two batters to end things.
Cleveland's total line on the night: nine innings, three hits, a run, eight walks, two hit batsmen, and 13 strikeouts.
This would have been the 15th no-hitter in Cleveland's history and ended a lengthy franchise drought. The team's most recent no-hitter was delivered by Len Barker back in 1981 -- or nearly 38 years ago. Oddly enough, Barker's no-hitter also came against the Blue Jays.
This also would have been is the 10th no-hitter to ever feature eight or more walks, and the second to feature at least that many free passes as well as at least two hit-by-pitches. Instead Steve Barber and Stu Miller's combined no-no back in 1967, in which they walked 10 in a losing effort, will remain in a class of its own.