(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
San Francisco Giants starter Alex Cobb threw nine innings allowing a single hit and just one run, walking one and striking out eight in the process on Tuesday night.
He did it against a solid Cincinnati Reds offense, in a 6-1 victory for his Giants.
It wasn’t just another game for him, though: it involved a serious bid for a no-hitter.
As it usually happens when there is a no-hit bid on the line, a pitcher’s defense helps him with one or two amazing plays.
Well, the Giants did that for Cobb: it was center fielder Austin Slater in this particular case.
We will let the play speak for itself, as MLB posted a video of it on its official Twitter account:
This AMAZING catch by Austin Slater ends the 8th inning to keep Alex Cobb’s no-hit bid alive! pic.twitter.com/hAJSRVHpYx
— MLB (@MLB) August 30, 2023
As MLB indicates, the catch represented the last out of the eighth inning, or the 24th out of the night.
The magic ended in the ninth inning, though.
Cobb got out number 25 on a fly ball to deep right field.
The next batter, Nick Senzel, walked: it wasn’t a perfect game because Casey Schmitt had a throwing error that resulted in a player reaching base earlier in the game.
After another out to get to one away from history, Spencer Steer hit an RBI double, the first hit of the game against Cobb.
Cobb has been very good in 2023, with a 3.57 ERA in 141.1 frames of work.
He has given the Giants excellent pitching performances and length as they seek to make the postseason.
In the end, Cobb couldn’t secure the no-hitter but Slater sure deserves a dinner, or at least a bottle of wine for his efforts.
The post Austin Slater Made An All-Time Catch On Nearly Historic Night appeared first on The Cold Wire.