Sykora's six perfect innings pave way for FredNats' combined no-hitter

It’s been almost seven years since the last non-Complex League perfect game in the Minors, when now-defunct Kane County accomplished the feat on Sept. 1, 2017. That distinction is safe for now, but Travis Sykora and Single-A Fredericksburg came awfully close to claiming it Friday night.

Sykora twirled six perfect innings and the FredNats took a perfect game into the eighth before completing the first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history in their 7-1 win over Carolina at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. Three FredNats pitchers combined for the no-no, with Sykora carrying the load and righty Merrick Baldo recording the final three outs.

Currently Washington’s No. 13 prospect (a spot from which he is expected to take a significant leap next week when MLB Pipeline unveils its updated Top 30 Prospect lists), Sykora struck out 10 in his latest dominant outing for Fredricksburg. The 20-year-old also logged five no-hit innings in his previous start on Aug. 2 against Lynchburg, and also threw five more no-hit innings in another start back on July 9.

Of Sykora’s first 15 starts in pro ball, he’s held the opposing team to zero hits in three of them.

The numbers for the Nationals’ 2023 third-round pick don’t stop there. He’s held opponents to one (unearned) run and racked up 28 strikeouts in his last three starts (15 IP). His last defeat came 10 starts ago, on June 5. All told, Sykora improved to 3-3 with a 2.42 ERA and a whopping 96 strikeouts in his first 63 1/3 pro innings, all at Fredericksburg.

Sykora was in complete command Friday. He struck out five of his first nine hitters, didn’t walk a batter and was plenty efficient, totaling only 75 pitches in six frames. Nationals No. 8 prospect Elijah Green and No. 11 prospect Cristhian Vaquero both went deep to provide support, and the FredNats got two no-hit innings from Angel Roman to bridge the gap to Baldo in the ninth. They lost the perfecto when Roman walked the leadoff man in the eight, and the shutout on a walk, an error and a wild pitch in the ninth.

The no-hitter is the 32nd in the Minors this season, but only 16 of those have been nine-inning no-hitters and only 20 have occurred outside of Complex League play.