Justin Verlander came within two outs of what would’ve been one of the most predictable no-hitters in history, and then Josh Harrison reached for a pitch way out of the strikezone and blooped it up the middle for a single. The Pirates’ weird streak of somehow not getting no-hit continues.
I suppose it’s nice for morale and general fan self-esteem and all, but a lucky Josh Harrison swing on a pitch way out of the strike zone shouldn’t really make anyone forget just how bad the Pirate offense was tonight. Verlander is the best in the sport, sure, but pretty much every Pirate I saw (and I’ll admit that I didn’t start watching until the fourth inning or so) looked like a high school hitter facing a big leaguer. We can say that “It was Verlander and he’s awesome!” and that’s true, but he doesn’t go out and thrown a blindly dominating one-hit, 12-strikeout shutout every night. The Pirates were terrible tonight, and Harrison’s hit doesn’t functionally change that, except to help Pirate fans sleep a little better.
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