So close: Blaze pitcher two outs from no-hitter
| Wednesday, Jul 01 2009 11:06 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jul 01 2009 11:06 PM
MODESTO -- In his 19 years of playing organized baseball, Ryan Tatusko never pitched a no-hitter. For 81/3 innings, the Bakersfield Blaze pitcher appeared poised for his first, and just the fifth in Bakersfield's history.
Tatusko lost his no-hit bid on a 2-1 fastball to Modesto shortstop Hector Gomez with one out in the ninth. Tatusko didn't lose his composure and recorded the next two outs for a complete-game shutout victory as the Blaze defeated the Nuts, 2-0.
"They always say you're not aware you're throwing a no-hitter when you're in the middle of one, but I knew it," Tatusko said. "I was trying to find somebody to talk to in the dugout, and nobody wanted a piece of me."
Tatusko (2-2) struck out seven batters and walked three.
"I felt the nerves a little bit. I found myself peeking at the scoreboard. This was by far my best professional outing, so whether it was a no-hitter, one-hitter or two-hitter ,I'll take it.
"I had to go over my pitch count, but I felt as good in the ninth as I did in the first. I'm sure the adrenaline had something to do with that, and I'm also sure I'm going be really sore here in about 30 minutes."
Modesto Bee reporter Brian VanderBeek contributed to this story
