With a berth into the South Atlantic League finals at stake for Class A Lakewood, Spencer Howard took the situation into his own hands.
The Phillies' No. 18 prospect fired a postseason no-hitter, striking out nine over nine innings to lead the BlueClaws past Kannapolis, 1-0, completing a two-game sweep in the best-of-3 series. He issued one walk, hit a batter and allowed four baserunners in the outing, throwing 73 of his 103 pitches for strikes.
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Howard retired the first six Kannapolis batters of the game, four via the strikeout. He faced his biggest jam of the game in the third inning, when a pair of Lakewood errors and a walk led to a bases-loaded jam with two outs. However, the right-hander managed to escape the frame unscathed, inducing a lineout to first base for the third out.
Howard did not allow another baserunner until the sixth inning, when he put the Intimidators' leadoff man on base via a hit-by-pitch. The 22-year-old rebounded to record a ground-ball double play against the next batter and ultimately retired the final 11 hitters of the game en route to his postseason no-hitter. Over his final two innings, Howard threw just 13 pitches.
The Phillies' second-round pick in the 2017 Draft, Howard spent his entire first full season in the South Atlantic League, compiling a 3.78 ERA over 23 starts. He pitched especially well after the All-Star break, posting a 2.67 ERA in 12 starts after he'd finished the first half with a 5.25 ERA.
Altogether, Howard racked up 147 strikeouts -- good for a share of first place in the circuit -- against 40 walks and permitted six home runs in 112 innings.
The BlueClaws will now take on Lexington in the best-of-5 South Atlantic League finals.