Bailey celebrates quietly after no-hitter

CINCINNATI -- Homer Bailey was a little tired when he came to Great American Ball Park on Wednesday afternoon, but it wasn't because he stayed up all night celebrating his second no-hitter in the last 10 months.

"I got up pretty early this morning to play with my horses," Bailey said. "So no, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep."

The Texas native has two horses, Dot and Billy, that he keeps in Ross, Ohio, about 25 miles away from downtown Cincinnati. Bailey said he kept it low-key Tuesday night as he privately celebrated his accomplishment.

"I got to talk to my dad and my family, and they were just on cloud nine," Bailey said. "But I had to get up early. I just kind of enjoyed it, had a few drinks, listened to some music and tried to relax. I was pretty tired."

By the time he got to the clubhouse Wednesday, Bailey said he had responded to the estimated 200 messages he received in reaction to his no-hitter. The list of notable names to contact him included former teammates Aaron Harang and Laynce Nix, along with Orel Hershiser and one of the pitchers Bailey looked up to as a child: Roger Clemens.

Now working with pitchers in the Astros organization, Clemens said he wanted to show them the video of Bailey's performance and the mechanics he used to no-hit the Giants.

"I said, 'Hey, go ahead. They're not in our division. If you want to, you can,'" Bailey said smiling.

Now, Bailey has to get back into his routine and prepare for his 18th start of the season Sunday against the Mariners. By the time he returns to the mound at Great American Ball Park, he said he has to try to put his no-hitter behind him, as he looks to get back to .500 on the year.

"There's no way I can go into my next one and keep that on my mind," Bailey said. "I'd imagine probably the first guy will get a hit and I'll be done with the whole thing."