Phillies’ Michael Lorenzen Throws Rare No-Hitter, Credits God on TV
Phillies’ Michael Lorenzen Throws Rare No-Hitter, Gives ‘All the Glory’ to God on TV
Michael Lorenzen walked to the mound to start the ninth inning — of just his second start with the Phillies, his first in Philadelphia — to the sound of the crowd roaring for him to complete a no-hitter.
“Just walking out of the dugout, hearing the fans go wild, it gave me the chills,” Lorenzen said. “It gave that boost of energy that I needed, for sure.”
Boy, did it get wild in Philly just three outs later.
Lorenzen threw the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history, a dazzling performance that led Philadelphia to a 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
He became the fifth pitcher in major league history, and only the second since 1900, to throw a no-hitter in his home debut with a new team.
Michael Lorenzen throws the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history. His family’s reaction is everything. pic.twitter.com/9NARDYMwK0
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2023
“Welcome to Philadelphia, buddy,” manager Rob Thomson said during a clubhouse toast.
The 31-year-old Lorenzen struck out five, walked four and improved to 2-0 since he was acquired from Detroit for a minor leaguer.
Lorenzen retired Lane Thomas on a grounder to open the ninth and struck out Joey Meneses looking.
The crowd of 30,406 erupted when Lorenzen induced a pop-up from Dominic Smith on his career-high 124th pitch to end his first career complete game in 2 hours, 9 minutes.
Lorenzen stood on the mound and raised his arms in triumph before running into the waiting arms of catcher J.T. Realmuto. Lorenzen was then mobbed by his teammates in a rowdy celebration near the plate.
“I just had God’s grace today, and I definitely gotta thank God for today,” he later said in a TV interview.
“I gotta give him all the glory just to be able to keep me calm and trusting in him. Whatever happened, I was just going to trust in him, and that’s kind of what I’ve been doing all season, trying to just lean on him.”
Mike Lorenzen from the Phillies giving glory to God for his no-no tonight. pic.twitter.com/8cQXKLcZEL
— Eduardo Del Valle (@DelValleEduar) August 10, 2023
Lorenzen’s mother, Cheryl, and wife, Cassi, wept in the stands during the final out, with Cassi holding their 9-month-old daughter, June. Lorenzen later held his baby aloft on the field and smooched her on the cheek.
What’s the best part about throwing a no-hitter?
Celebrating it with the people you love. pic.twitter.com/O78kgU7KwR
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2023
Lorenzen pushed his pitch count to the point where it was questionable if Thomson would let him finish the game. But he kept the ball and became the first Phillies pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Cole Hamels on July 25, 2015, against the Cubs. Hamels retired last week.
Thomson said he talked to Lorenzen after the seventh and told the righty he had only about 20 pitches left.
“You better get quick outs,” Thomson told him.
After a couple of labor-intensive innings early, Lorenzen settled down and made quick work of the Nationals.
Washington was no-hit for the first time in its 19 seasons since the franchise moved from Montreal. The Expos were last no-hit when the Yankees’ David Cone threw a perfect game on July 18, 1999.
The Phillies hadn’t even thrown a complete game this season. Their most recent was last Aug. 25 when Aaron Nola blanked Cincinnati.
The franchise’s 14 no-hitters include Roy Halladay’s against Cincinnati in the National League Division Series on Oct. 6, 2010.
The no-hitter was the fourth in the majors this season.
Houston’s Framber Valdez threw one against Cleveland on Aug. 1. New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán pitched a perfect game at Oakland on June 28, and Matt Manning, Alex Lange and Jason Foley of Detroit threw a combined no-no against Toronto on July 8.
Lorenzen has one big souvenir from his no-hitter: Philadelphia’s grounds crew dug up the rubber and presented it to the pitcher in the clubhouse. And the Baseball Hall of Fame will be accepting another: Lorenzen’s white spikes.
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Lorenzen improved to 38-36 in a career that began in 2015 with the Reds. He’s never won more than eight games in a season but figures to top that, and the Phillies are expecting many more.
“This game has punched me in the face so many times,” he said. “I’ve just got to rely on the work that I put in and trust and hope it’s going to pay off at some point.”
With a big moment in Philly, it did.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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