Who Will Throw the Next No-Hitter?
It’s kind of weird to think that it’s been 22 years since the highest number of individual no-hitters (6) was thrown in a season. It may not seem like an incredible number these days, especially considering that only two seasons ago we had two perfect games thrown in a season on top of three more no-no’s that same year. So far this season we have been privy to Phil Humber’s road to perfection against the Mariners back on April 21 and Jered Weaver’s no-hitter against the Twins on May 2. Close to two months into the season it’s almost expected that at least one more no-hitter will be thrown before season’s end. After all, back in 1990 the first individual no-no was thrown on June 2 by Randy Johnson. So the question that comes is: who’s going to do it?
Two names pop into my head, one of which has become synonymous with me since the winter meetings in December. His name is Doug “Twisted” Fister. For those who have been following my posts and predictions on the season, I had chosen Fister to be my breakout star of the season as the overall frontrunner for the American League Cy Young award. While I have been garnering a lot of grief over this choice, few people really look at the reasons why, especially when Justin Verlander usually pitches the day before him. Since his arrival in Detroit last season, Fister outdueled Verlander in WHIP (0.84) and ERA (1.79). So far this season Fister, despite a brief stint on the DL, has been excellent. Tonight he goes against the Indians, a team he has gone 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA since joining the Tigers.
On the National League side, one pitcher has shown me that he truly has the stuff to make it happen: Lance Lynn of St. Louis Cardinals. In only his second season in the bigs, Lynn has proven himself as a worthy candidate for not only a no-hit bid, but also the Cy Young. Lynn is averaging less than five hits allowed per game on top of his 2.31 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. His last two starts were shaky; however, after Wainwright’s shutout last night against the Padres, Lynn may be able to take advantage.
So, what do you think? Both Fister and Lynn go tonight. Did I get it right? Or do you have somebody better in mind? Let me know on Twitter @Shakabrodie