– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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SAN FRANCISCO — In the autumn of his career, San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb has had a springlike revival in 2023, and on Tuesday night, he was one out away from history as he twirled a summer masterpiece that he will never forget.
Cobb came within an out from throwing a no-hitter as he led the Giants to a 6-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds inside Oracle Park on Tuesday evening. On the night, Cobb struck out eight hitters and allowed only one base runner all game going into the ninth inning — a throwing error by third baseman Casey Schmitt on a ground ball by Nick Senzel with two outs in the third. Cobb came agonizingly close in completing the job of throwing the 18th no-hitter in Giants franchise history.
The 35-year-old Cobb, who made his first All-Star Game in his 13th year in the Major Leagues last month, threw 131 pitches on the evening, and that number was already at a season-high 113 when he started the ninth. He began the inning by inducing a fly out to right from Noelvi Marte. Senzel then worked a walk before TJ Friedl also flew out to right to move Cobb within one out of history.
Spencer Steer came up and also sent a pitch to right field, but the hard liner just cleared the glove of a sprinting Luis Matos for the first hit, sending Senzel home from first.
After the thunderous standing ovation he received after seeing his no-no attempt spoiled at the last step, Cobb was allowed to finish the game, and he did so with a flourish by striking out Elly De La Cruz looking to close out the masterpiece.
Patrick Bailey, 11 years Cobb’s junior, was behind the plate to call the complete game shutout, and he also gave his pitcher support on offense as his two-run home run on a full count pitch with two outs in the third gave San Francisco a 5-0 advantage.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s contest, with all photos courtesy of Justin Cohen Photography. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 15 pictures in total.
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