Montreal Expos' Jeff Fassero Comes Within One Strike of No-Hitter, Pitches 8 2/3 Innings of Strong Baseball

Strategic Insights -

Montreal Expos lefthander Jeff Fassero stunned the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night, pitching 8 2/3 innings of strong baseball, just one strike shy of a no-hitter. Fassero's impressive performance came as a surprise, given his past struggles. A year ago, he was regarded as little more than a lefthanded setup man. However, he moved into the starting rotation last July and began to thrive, boasting a 7-4 record with a 2.29 ERA in 94 1/3 innings.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jeff Fassero pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
  • Fassero came within one strike of pitching a no-hitter, giving up a liner off his glove on a 1-and-2 count.
  • Carlos Garcia hit a liner off Fassero's glove, diving across the bag to beat the pitcher's throw and break up the no-hit bid.
  • Garcia stated he thought Fassero caught the ball initially, then had to hustle to beat the throw to first.
  • Jay Bell followed with a two-run homer to left, chasing Fassero from the game.
  • The Expos' victory was their first since May 18, marking an end to a four-game losing streak.
  • Fassero had gone 0-2 with two no-decisions in his four starts since the last victory.
  • The Expos have four no-hitters in their history, with the last one pitched by Charlie Lea against San Francisco on May 10, 1981.

Statistics:

  • Jeff Fassero pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and two hits.
  • Fassero struck out six batters and issued two walks.
  • The Expos scored twice in the first inning on Moises Alou's RBI fielder's choice grounder and a run-scoring groundout by Randy Milligan.
  • Cordero, who reached base in all five plate appearances, had a run-scoring double in the sixth.

Sources:

  • MLB.com
  • ESPN.com
  • Baseball-Reference.com (game log)