by ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Reid Detmers was called up to the Los Angeles Angels at the end of last season with high expectations. After 10 forgettable matches in the big league, the left-handed rookie surpassed even his own hopes on Tuesday night.
Detmers pitched the Majors’ second no-hitter this season, crossing after benefiting from a borderline miss call in the seventh inning as the Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-0.
The 22-year-old southpaw threw 108 pitches in his 11th major league game, knocking out two and walking one. He completed the 12th no-hitter in franchise history when Yandy Diaz was eliminated by shortstop Andrew Velazquez to end the game.
“Taking off the last one was the coolest part,” Detmers said. “It’s just something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. I never thought this would happen.”
He received crucial assistance from official top scorer Mel Franks in the seventh.
Brett Phillips caught up with an out when first baseman Jared Walsh went right and hit Phillips’ grounder. Walsh cheered as the video card showed the move was ruled a mistake, and the decision brought one of the biggest cheers of the night from the 39,313 fans at Angel Stadium – a huge crowd during the week because it was Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead night after he received your AL. MVP award before the game.
“I thought it was clearly a mistake,” Walsh said. “I expect I make this move most of the time, so I would definitely complain if they called it a success.”
When asked if this could have been considered a success if the Angels had been on the road, Walsh said: “I think most people who are in the major leagues would admit it was a mistake.”
Otherwise, Detmers (2-1) had almost no problems. He retired his first 15 hitters before Taylor Walls made an early walk in the sixth. Third baseman Anthony Rendon then made a nice leap to catch Vidal Bruján’s line shot, and Kevin Kiermaier made a double play to close out the innings.
“I was just trying to get ahead. I couldn’t tell you much more. I was just trying to get out,” Detmers said. “When I hit the last batter twice, I was shaking a little. But other than that, I tried to stay very calm.”
Son of a former minor league pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals, Detmers was the 10th overall pick in the 2020 University of Louisville draft and made his major league debut last year.
He entered the game with a career mark of 2-4 and an ERA of 6.33 – the third highest ERA entering a no-hitter since runs won became an official statistic in 1913, according to Elias. Sports Bureau. He was 1-1 with a 5.32 ERA in his first five games this season.
“He had a much better mound presence tonight. He just looked and felt the paper,” said businessman Joe Maddon. “I hope we have a lot of residue of that in the future, because he is capable of that. Maybe not no-hitters, I’m just saying that’s how he should shoot. This is what he should look like more often.”
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
The Rays just couldn’t take down Detmers, who mixed a fastball averaging 92mph with a looping curveball, a shifter, and a slider.
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Detmers came into the game using his trade just 5.1% of the time this season, but he played 24 points against the Rays.
“I think his speed was keeping us off balance. He was playing hard and soft, but he was doing a good job putting these warmers on,” Walls said.
It was the first time Detmers had been eliminated in the seventh inning or later since June 7, 2019, by Louisville against East Carolina in an NCAA Super Regional. His previous career record in the majors was six innings last season against Houston. He also had never shot more than 97 pitches in a major league game.
The Angels’ last no-hitter was on July 12, 2019, when Taylor Cole and Félix Peña combined for one against the Seattle Mariners in the team’s first home game following the death of starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Detmers is the youngest Angel to throw a no-hitter and the first southpaw since Clyde Wright on July 3, 1970 against Oakland.
It is the Angels’ first single no-hitter since Jered Weaver on May 2, 2012, against Minnesota.
Five New York Mets pitchers combined for this year’s first no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 29. There was a record nine no-hitters in the majors last season. The previous one by a rookie was Tyler Gilbert of Arizona against San Diego on the 14th of August in their first game.
Mike Trout made his second multi-homer game of the season and scored three for the Angels, who have won six of their last seven.
Trout took a two-run kick from Corey Kluber (1–2) in the second to extend Los Angeles’ lead to 5-0 and then added another two-run homer in the eighth for the 22nd multi-homer game. Trout has nine homers this season, which is tied for second in the American League.
Chad Wallach and Anthony Rendon also went deep. Rendon scored in his first major league as a left-handed hitter in the eighth when Phillips, usually an outfielder, took the mound in the blast.
Wallach, a professional catcher in his 80th career game and only the Angels’ second, was behind the plate for Detmers with regular catchers Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki on the COVID-19 injury list. He and his father, Tim Wallach, are the first father-son combination for every homer for the Angels.
Velazquez added three hits as the Angels had a season-record 18.
Kluber had a difficult exit for the Rays. The right-hander passed three innings and allowed eight runs in 11 with two strikeouts.
COACH ROOM
Rays: OF Manuel Margot was not in the lineup after leaving Monday’s game due to a hamstring strain.
Angels: INF David Fletcher had surgery today to repair the adductor muscles in both legs. The team doesn’t expect him back until at least after the All-Star break. … C Austin Romine was called up to replace Stassi.
NEXT
Rays: LHP Shane McClanahan (2–2, 3.06 ERA) is tied with Chicago’s Dylan Cease for the American League lead in strikeouts with 47.
Angels: RHP Shohei Ohtani (3–2, 3.08 ERA) won his last three starts and allowed two runs in 18 innings.
