Trevor Bauer throws seven no-hit innings, leads Indians over Blue Jays

Baseball is fun again!

For one night, let’s forget the Tribe’s lousy offense, frugal owner, injuries to key players, and everything else folks have been complaining about recently. Let’s enjoy a heck of a ballgame from Mr. Trevor Bauer.

Bauer was absolutely fantastic and led the Indians to an almost no-hitter in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. The right-hander, however, was not perfect, walking six and hitting a batter, and that’s the main reason he didn’t get a chance to chase down the no-hitter himself. Bauer was pulled after seven innings and a pitch count of 117. It wasn’t an easy decision from manager Terry Francona, but it was the right one.

In the top of the third inning, talk of a no-hit, shutout seemed mighty silly, as Bauer loaded the bases without getting an out (two walks and that hit batter). Bauer just buckled down though, striking out both Socrates Brito (great name) and Randal Grichuk, and then getting Rowdy Tellez (another fantastic Blue Jay name!) to line out to end the inning and avoid any damage.

Only the fourth inning was clean after that for Bauer, with base runners in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings bumping up Bauer’s pitch count and forcing Tito’s hand. Bauer finished with a really cool moment, striking out Brandon Drury to end the seventh and letting out a big yell and well yeah I woke up my dog cheering along too.

Jon Edwards came on for the eighth and was shaky and didn’t get any borderline high strike calls, leading to three base-runners (but no hits still) and a call to closer Brad Hand. Hand got out of the jam in the eighth, but allowed three hits and one run in the ninth to give up the no-hitter. It would have been the Tribe’s first-ever combined no-hitter.

Offensively, the Indians had seven hits and drew five walks off Blue Jays’ pitchers. Leonys Martin and Tyler Naquin had two hits each, and Jose Ramirez got his first RBI of the year.