Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow works against the Tampa Bay Rays during third inning MLB baseball action in Toronto Sunday, August 8, 2010.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
The fans at Rogers Centre were on their feet with two out in the ninth inning, screaming themselves hoarse in anticipation of the second no-hitter by a Toronto Blue Jays pitcher in the history of the franchise.
Brandon Morrow was the man of the moment on Sunday afternoon, having already struck out 16 batters and now refocusing his thoughts on Evan Longoria, the dangerous-hitting third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays.
With the count 1-1 and the Blue Jays leading 1-0, Morrow was just two strikes away from baseball immortality when Longoria took the next pitch and grounded it to the right side.
It was headed toward the gap between first and second base when Aaron Hill, the Blue Jays second baseman, ranged far to his left and made a desperate dive - and for a moment it appeared he had come up with the ball.
But the cowhide squirted free and rolled into right field, and Longoria was safe at first on the play that was correctly ruled a hit. Morrow's no-hit bid was gone just like that.
With the tying run at third base in Ben Zobrist, who walked leading off the inning, Morrow still had some work to do.
Composing himself after what had to be a huge letdown, Morrow - even after throwing in excess of 130 pitches on the day - still had enough to record the game-ending strikeout of Dan Johnson that allowed Toronto to walk away with a memorable victory.
In the process, Morrow earned his first complete-game victory while also striking out a career high 17 batters. The performance also gave the Blue Jays a three-game sweep of the Rays and put a dent in Tampa's drive to win the American League East.
Morrow walked two Tampa batters while another got on base through an error.
"I was excited," said Morrow, who relied heavily on his fastball location and slider to stymie the Rays. "That's my first complete game, first shutout. Those things combined are more than enough to overcome the feeling of just missing a no-hitter. That would have been a great feat but I'll start at a complete game, one-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts."
If Morrow had been successful in his no-hit bid, it would have been the sixth in the major leagues this season.
The only no-hitter in Blue Jays history was thrown by Dave Stieb against the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 2, 1990.
After being handed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jays base runner Yunel Escobar scored on a bloop single to right by Vernon Wells, Morrow was in control throughout.
Tampa first came close to breaking up the no-hit bid in the sixth but Wells made a spectacular running catch off a drive by Zobrist for the third out.
Wells managed to hang on while crashing heavily into the wall in centre field.
"Obviously you're body's out of the equation in that situation," said Wells, who dislocated his right big toe on the play and had to leave the game.
It is possible Wells will have to miss some time with the injury.
The normally affable Hill was in no mood to speak with members of the media after the game and had to be coerced into taking a few questions by a member of the Jays media relations staff.
"Did everything I could, just couldn't come up with it," Hill said about Longoria's hit. "I wish I could get an error or something for it but unfortunately that's just the way it is.
"I'm playing up the middle, pull hitter. It wasn't a pull swing but he did his job and he's trying to do everything he can as well."