ANAHEIM — Reid Detmers showed more than just the ability to come out during his no-hitter Tuesday night.
He got out by throwing up contact.
The 22-year-old rookie left-hander had just two strikeouts in his no-hitter, the first time in 11 years a pitcher had thrown a no-hitter with just two strikeouts. The last was Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins, who threw a two-strike no-hitter on May 3, 2011.
“In the past I’ve always had a few strikeouts and my pitch counts have always gone up pretty quickly,” Detmers said Wednesday, the day after his historic performance in the 12-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. “Being able to make contact helped a lot, especially getting quick outs. That was huge.”
Since 1901 there have been 255 individual nine-inning no-hitters, and the pitcher has had two or fewer strikeouts in only 28 of those. Half of these were before 1920, when strikes were less common.
Of the 58 no-hitters in the 21st century, only six contained fewer than six strikeouts.
Detmers was able to finish the two-strikeout no-hitter because that kept the Rays from hitting the ball hard. They only hit four balls at 100mph or harder, and six of the top seven hit balls were on the ground.
“When you make gentle contact, your defense gets bigger,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I saw that last night.”
Detmers needed 108 pitches to finish nine innings, averaging just 12 per inning.
“You get efficient early count outs, you get 100 pitches in the eighth or ninth inning all the time,” Maddon said. “I love it. It’s more of an artistic form of the game. It’s not blunt. It’s not just about spinning the ball at the top of the zone as hard as you can. People who pitch like that deserve a chance to pitch for a while.”
NO TROUT
Mike Trout was off the lineup for the second time in a week, another day off as Maddon tries to keep the three-time American League MVP fresh for the entire season. Trout only played 36 games last season due to a calf strain and had a reduced spring training session afterwards.
Trout said he appreciates the opportunity to have two days off in a row, including Thursday’s planned day off.
“We tried to do the back-to-back days, which is huge for me,” said Trout, who suffered a pinching blow on Wednesday the 10th. “I like it. It has worked in the past. That’s good. My body feels great.”
This was the sixth time Trout had left the lineup. He was ill once and missed three games after being hit in the hand by a throw. Last Thursday in Boston was the only time he was out due to the manager’s decision.
Maddon said it was a good time to give Trout a break, even though he was only off last week due to the Angels’ 20-game streak and Saturday’s upcoming doubleheader.
“Lots of little things happen,” Maddon said. “Just give him a break today and I think we’ll reap the rewards.”
REMARKS
Outfielder Taylor Ward said he will “definitely” be back on the starting lineup Friday in Oakland. He didn’t start in any of the three games against the Rays because of a strained hamstring, but he was doing well enough to hit a game-winning homer in the eighth inning on Wednesday. …
Infielder Matt Duffy, who was on the COVID-related injury list, rejoined the team on Wednesday. Maddon said Duffy was “fine” and “probably” activated. …
A day after Anthony Rendon hit a left-hand homer, Maddon joked that he listed the third baseman as a switch hitter on his lineup card. Rendon often swings with his left hand in the cage, which Maddon says isn’t that uncommon. “Just for the looseness and flexibility of your body, doing a few swings on the other side on your normal side can help you,” Maddon said.
NEXT
Angels (TBD) at A’s (RHP Daulton Jeffries, 1-5, 5.22), Friday, 6:40 p.m., Bally Sports West, 8:30 a.m