The Atlanta Braves are still waiting for their first no-hitter since way back in 1994.
Friday night, righty Mike Foltynewicz took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics, though Matt Olson spoiled it with a leadoff home run in that final frame. Foltynewicz fell three outs short of history.
Here's the video of Olson's no-hitter spoiling dinger. The Braves still went on to win Friday's game (ATL 3, OAK 1):
Foltynewicz walked four and struck out eight in his eight-plus innings of work, and he threw a career-high 119 pitches. The bullpen was warming up behind him in both in the eighth and ninth innings, and he was pulled immediately after the home run.
The 25-year-old Foltynewicz went into Friday's start with a 5-5 record and a 4.10 ERA in 79 innings spread across 14 starts and one relief appearance this season. He allowed 86 hits in those 79 innings, and opposing hitters owned a healthy .278/.341/.447 batting line against him. An unlikely no-hitter this would have been.
Now that said, Foltynewicz does have nasty power stuff. His fastball topped out at 97.0 mph and averaged 94.9 mph Friday. He also generated nine swings and misses among those 119 pitches. Foltynewicz, who was traded to the Braves by the Houston Astros in the Evan Gattis deal, was overpowering.
The no-hitter would have been the 15th in Braves history and the fourth since the franchise moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. The last was thrown by Kent Mercker in 1994. Hard to believe the Braves went all those years without getting a no-hitter from Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, isn't it?
Braves last no-hitter is still Kent Mercker 4/8/94 at LAD. Foltynewicz was 2nd since then to take one into the 9th (Shelby Miller 5/17/15)
— James Smyth (@JamesSmyth621) July 1, 2017
The A's have not been no been no-hit since four Baltimore Orioles pitchers got them in 1991. Bob Milacki started that game for the O's. Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson all came out of the bullpen. The A's have baseball's longest streak of not being no-hit. Every other team in baseball has been no-hit at least once since Oakland was last no-hit in 1991.
Foltynewicz was three outs away from throwing the second no-no in baseball this season. Miami Marlins right-hander Edinson Volquez no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 3.
