Minor-league baseball team rallies for 7-5 victory despite being no-hit in the game
In just its second game of the 2023 season, Double-A Chattanooga picked up the most unlikely victory it will get all year.
Hyperbole? Not at all.
Chattanooga, the Cincinnati Reds’ affiliate, beat the Rocket City Trash Pandas 7-5 in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday without the benefit of a hit.
The Lookouts trailed 3-0 heading to the seventh inning and had just three baserunners to that point, thanks to two walks and a dropped third strike.
A no-hitter was intact when Ben Joyce took the mound for the Trash Pandas, who are an Angels affiliate.
The first two Chattanooga batters walked before Joyce got an out. After another walk loaded the bases, Joyce picked up what seemed to be a big strikeout.
Joyce issued a run-scoring walk but got the next batter to hit a flyball to center field. Unfortunately for the Trash Pandas, outfielder Jeremiah Jackson misplayed it and three runs scored on the error.
Eric Torres relieved Joyce in what was now a 4-3 game, and things somehow got stranger.
Torres hit three straight batters and forced in the tying run. He walked in another run, then threw a wild pitch that allowed a runner to score, making it 7-3. After hitting his fourth batter of the inning, Torres got the final out.
The Trash Pandas scored twice in the bottom of the seventh but lost 7-5 despite tossing a combined no-hitter (with seven walks, four hit batters and an error).
Pitching Ninja encapsulated the entire debacle in a short video.
Here’s what makes the day even stranger: Rocket City tossed a one-hitter and won the second game 3-0.
That’s one hit allowed in 14 innings and a doubleheader split.
