Incredible facts about Lorenzen's no-no for his new team
Michael Lorenzen sure knows how to make a great first impression. The 31-year-old right-hander, whom the Phillies acquired in a deal with the Tigers just prior to the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline, made a historic home debut with Philadelphia on Wednesday night, his second start with the club. He threw the 14th no-hitter in franchise history in a 7-0 win over the Nationals, the Phils’ first since July 25, 2015, when Cole Hamels blanked the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Here are 10 facts and stats from Lorenzen’s tremendous performance.
• Speaking of that first impression, Lorenzen is the fifth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first home game with a franchise, joining Don Cardwell for the Cubs (May 15, 1960), Jay Hughes for the Orioles (April 22, 1898), Bumpus Jones for the Reds (Oct. 15, 1892) and Ed Cushman for the Milwaukee Cream Citys (Sept. 28, 1884), per the Elias Sports Bureau. That’s right, it hadn’t happened since 1960 and has happened just twice since 1900. Cardwell, for the Cubs, had been traded two days earlier by none other than the Phillies.
• Lorenzen is the sixth pitcher in the expansion era (since 1961) to throw a no-hitter in his first or second start with a team, according to Elias. He joins Tyler Gilbert in his first MLB start for the D-backs (Aug. 14, 2021), Joe Musgrove in his second start for the Padres (April 9, 2021), Clay Buchholz in his second MLB start for the Red Sox (Sept. 1, 2007), Hideo Nomo in his first start for the Red Sox (April 4, 2001) and Wilson Alvarez in his first start for the White Sox (Aug. 11, 1991).
• It isn’t just about how quickly Lorenzen has made this impression. He is just the eighth pitcher to throw a no-hitter after switching teams midseason, per Elias. Lorenzen joins Mike Fiers for the Astros (Aug. 21, 2015; previously pitched that season for Milwaukee), Jim Bibby for the Rangers (July 30, 1973; St. Louis), Cardwell for the Cubs (May 15, 1960; Philadelphia), Hoyt Wilhelm for the Orioles (Sept. 20, 1958; Cleveland), Sal Maglie for the Dodgers (Sept. 25, 1956; Cleveland), Ray Caldwell for Cleveland (Sept. 10, 1919; Boston) and Bill Hawke for the Orioles (Aug. 16, 1893; St. Louis).
• This was the Phillies' first no-hitter at Citizens Bank Park since Roy Halladay blanked the Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series. Halladay’s gem in the 2010 NLDS is one of two postseason no-hitters thrown at Citizens Bank Park -- the other was a combined no-hitter by the Astros in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series.
• Lorenzen threw a career-high 124 pitches to complete the no-hitter. His previous career high for pitches thrown in a game was 107, and that came in his MLB debut for the Reds on April 29, 2015, against the Brewers at Great American Ball Park. It was the most pitches by a pitcher in a no-hitter since Fiers threw 131 on May 7, 2019.
• Lorenzen is the fourth pitcher out of Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton, Calif., to reach the Majors; all four have thrown a no-hitter (as noted by X user @StrangedeBill1). Hall of Famer Walter Johnson pitched a no-hitter for the Washington Senators against the Red Sox in 1920, Steve Busby of the Royals no-hit the Brewers in '74 and Mike Warren of the A’s no-hit the White Sox in '83.
• Every no-hitter is a joint effort between a pitcher and his defense, and Lorenzen’s was no exception. He ended the night with five strikeouts, and the Nationals made him work for his other 22 outs. Ten came against hard-hit (95+ mph) batted balls, five of which exceeded 100 mph. For reference, Major League hitters entered the night with a .601 batting average on 100+ mph batted balls. Another three batted balls hit off Lorenzen -- Keibert Ruiz’s and Ildemaro Vargas’ seventh-inning groundouts and Alex Call’s eighth-inning lineout -- had an expected batting average above .500, with Call’s topping out at .590.
• Another notable Phillies feat (perhaps even a pheat) on Wednesday came courtesy of left fielder Weston Wilson, who launched a solo home run in his first Major League plate appearance off Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore in the second inning. When Lorenzen finished off his no-hitter, it marked the first time in AL/NL history that a team had a player homer in his Major League debut and a pitcher throw a no-hitter in the same contest, per Elias.
It had been a while
• This was the first time the Nationals/Expos franchise was no-hit since David Cone’s perfect game on July 18, 1999. The team was still the Expos at that point, meaning this is the first time the club has been no-hit as the Nationals. The Nats/Expos streak was the longest active stretch for any franchise without being no-hit. That distinction now belongs to the Angels, who were last no-hit on Sept. 11, 1999, by the Twins’ Eric Milton.
• The Nationals had not been shut out for 96 games, dating back to April 19 against the Orioles. It was the longest streak in MLB in 2023 and the longest for the Nats since moving to D.C. in 2005.