Wow. That was special. A no-hitter of any kind is a unique moment in a player's career, even more so for those on the field making plays behind the pitcher, and most of all, for those on the mound and the man behind the plate calling pitches.
Congratulations to the Voyagers, the seven men behind the mound in the field, catcher, Kevan Smith, whose role should not be overlooked, and of course, the three pitchers: Scott Snodgress, Blake Drake, and Joe Dvorsky.
That moment--or, the collection of moments--is about those men. We are currently on the bus en route to Idaho Falls as a write this (but not when this gets posted). When we arrive, it will be early morning and everyone will want to sleep. As soon as I get the opportunity, content from the players, specifically those mentioned above, will be on here as I will give them an opportunity to tell their story because that is what it is about. For now, as I have everything fresh on my mind, all I can provide is my account of what took place.
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As a broadcaster, I will point out on air as most broadcasters will, when the first base runner reaches for each team and when the first hit is collected for each team. As a broadcaster, no matter how early or how late these events take place, it is relevant information to convey and typically it is without substantial gravity due to how soon into a game these events typically occur. However, as a baseball fan I always recognize a team's first base runner as the inability for the opposition to throw a perfect game and, if it occurs separately, a team's first hit as the opposition's inability to throw a no-hitter. When both occur for each team, I recognize it as another night in which I will not witness a no-hitter or a perfect game, two of the most unique and special accomplishments in sports. Even if the first batter of the first inning gets a
hit, the first thing that crosses my mind is, Well, no no-hitter or perfect game for that team.
Last summer I broadcasted two seven inning no-hitters in the Northwoods League. Both of them were accomplished against the team I broadcasted for, however, it was still special ad exciting nonetheless. As a matter of fact, in the second of the two, the team I broadcasted for actually won the game in which they were no-hit. Tonight, being a part of the broadcast for the team that accompished the feat, being that it was nine innings, and being that it was a professional baseball game, was incredibly special.
I genuinely mean this:
Scott, Blake, Joe, Kevan, those in the field, and everyone else a part of the team: Thank You So Much for providing me this special opportunity.
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As the manager of the USC baseball team, I was very in tune with the college baseball scene, specifically the scene existing within the then Pac-10.
Scott Snodgress was a freshman at Stanford when I was a sophomore at USC. I remember hearing his name being mentioned among the top recruits in the coutnry when he signed with Stanford. I remember hearing USC players talk about him, especially those that had faced him before college. While his numbers were never jaw-dropping, I remember hearing players, coaches, and scouts alike douse Snodgress with compliments--whether it was his "stuff," or his "ceiling" or his "work ethic."
I have always been and still am very intrigued with how scouts "project" certain players, especially those whose numbers did not match the praise they received. Obviously college is a different game. Different bats, you got to focus on school (epecially at Stanford), and you receive different coaching (not saying it is better or worse, each case is different). Those are just some of the factors that may explain why a player's numbers underwhelm based on praise or where they are drafted or how large their bonus is etc.
Not a knock on Scott, but his numbers were not that of a 5th-Round pick. I have talked to Scott about his time at Stanford and there is good reason why his numbers were what they were. His performance was obviously a part of it, but there were other factors. I don't know that it is my place to divulge, but, from someone who hates excuses, Scott's explanation of his time at Stanford was very interesting (Note: His story came up in a conversation simply about playing at Stanford, not me prodding about his numbers or him trying to make excuses at all.)
When I saw that the White Sox drafted Snodgress I was very excited and hopeful that he'd come to Great Falls. I was intrigued by him. I was intrigued by his potential and I was intrigued by the hype. I was intrigued by a guy who played at Stanford, one of the most successful programs of all-time, much like USC, but also in the present, something USC is not at this time (however, will be soon under the direction of Frank Cruz).
I picked Scott up the airport late in the wee hours of the morning when he arrived and have enjoyed every minute spent with him since.
I always look forward to watching him pitch. Not only have his improvements been noticeable start after start, but, with him, his talent, and his work ethic, I know something unique can happen each time out. Whether it's him making a subtle improvement, or the flashes of dominance we had seen from Scott for a couple of innings this season, it's fun to watch.
As usual, I was looking forward to Scott's start. Little did i know...
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Even through the first inning, I did not expect a pitcher's duel. While Jefri Hernandez retired the side on 5 pitches, the final two outs were hard hit balls within range of the pursuing outfielders.
Scott, on his end, struck out two but threw 18 pitches and it wasn't one of those He's got something special tonight feelings. At least, that's what I observed, not sure how he felt.
It was in Scott's second inning, when he struck out the side, and Hernandez's third, where I figured runs were not going to be aplenty tonight.
However, with that being said, a few times this season Scott will dominate through two or three innings and then all of a sudden look much different thereafter. So, in the back of my head, I was wondering if tonight would be different.
So, while I expected a strong performance from Scott after he flawlessly struck out the side in the second inning, I didn't start taking his perfect game seriously until after the fourth and then, really, not wholeheartedly until after the fifth when he got through the middle of the Ghosts lineup for the second time.
As a baseball fan, I am well aware of what is considered a jinx to a perfect game or a no-hitter. As a broadcaster, it is my responsibility to tell the story. I didn't want to overreact and marvel over perfection through five innings because, let's be real, that's just over halfway. However, I was sure to consistently point out that Scott had faced the minimum or that no one had reached.
When Scott exited after six, I threw out the word perfect for the first time, recognizing his outing as six perfect innings. At that point, I felt like it was okay to throw around the word cautiously. Blake Drake walked the second man he faced but i was quick to point out that the no-hitter was still in tact. At that point, jinx aside, it is my responsibility to identify the potential feat of greatness. However, rest assured, each time i mentioned it, before each upcoming pitch, I sub-consciously prayed it didn't get broken up right then and there with a direct link to my mention. Thankfully, it didn't.
When Drake got through the seventh and Dvorsky came on to throw--one of our best relievers and certainly someone who had demonstrated dominance--I was very excited at the possibility of this all coming full-circle.
The first batter Joe faced, DIllon Thomas, hit a sharp ground ball to the middle. TIMEOUT--without trying to throw anyone under the bus, the Casper playing surface was not smooth at all and created a lot of bad hops. Bad hops are often times ruled hits and for as many ground balls as we fielded, it was awesome that not won trampolined over the head of an infielder or anything else that could result in a hit and not an error--TIME IN. The minute Jeffer Patino had to slide to make a backhanded pickup on the ground ball by Thomas, that opened the door for a hit to be awarded had something from his pickup to the throw gone awry--be it a bad hop, a bobble, a bad throw, or whatever. When a player has to get dirty to make a play, very rarely is an error charged. Sure enough, "The Bossman" made the play and that right there is the proverbial "Gem" each no-hitter seems to include.
Honestly, for the sake for Dvorsky and for just my own giddiness, I wanted nothing unusual about the top of the ninth. I didn't want us to hit around or have a lengthy inning. I was comfortable with the 4run lead and wanted to see Joe get to work.
In between the top and bottom of the ninth, there was a slight case of chaos. Being getaway day, I got to packup all of my equipment on top of my usual post-game responsibilities I need to fulfill before I get to the hotel. There are certain things I can do after I leave the booth when I get back to the hotel, but others need to get done. The lengthiest task is the post-game write up. Frequently, throughout the night as the story unfolds, I will add a paragraph here or a paragraph there. However, tonight, not wanting to jinx anything, I left the slate clean from start until finish. I was worrying about getting everything done, on top of the extra responsibilities that might arise with the potential completion of the no-hitter (which, inevitably, did pop up). Additionally, I was scrambling to find no-hitter information which, with the Pioneer League website backdated to 2005, is not readily available. And, I spent a good five seconds thinking what the no-hitter call might be. I didn't even make any kind of progress towards that and was going to wing it. Oh, and my heart was start to beat faster and faster and faster.
The task was not an easy one. Having to face 9-1-2 is means that Joe had to face Rivera, a sub-.200 hitter which was fine, but also Kandilas, the man with the league's tenth best batting average, and Trevor Story, the eighteen year old taken in the sandwich round and a very unique talent.
Dvorsky struck out Rivera but as the ball got away from Smith, while the no-hitter was still in tact, that meant it was very likely that Joe was going to have to face the .300 hitter in Rossell Herrera, a switch hitter who was much better off of righties. Joe is a righty. For one, Joe is a fly ball pitcher and, secondly, trying not to give up a dribbler through the right side, Jimmy Jacquot was playing off of the base conceding second to Rivera, which he would ultimately take.
Anyway, Joe got Kandilas and Story on routine fly outs and then got ahead of Herrera 1-2.
During this whole thing, I am not providing too much color because at this point in time, if it wasn't no-hitter related, it really wasn't necessary. Some tidbits were included but it was mainly score, count, and the pitch.
Sure enough, in a full-count battle, Joe gets the groundout and the no-hitter is completed.
The call? I don't know how good it was but I didn't botch it.
My heart continued to pound. The moment was pretty special.
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I am so happy for the team that they got to experience this. I am so happy for Scott, especially, getting his first professional win in a very memorable ballgame. And hey, the fact is, its another win for a team chasing a playoff spot.
So, here I sit, typing this out on a long bus trip to Idaho Falls. We are watching Forrest Gump. Everything seems normal. But its not.
The staff in front of me and the gentlemen behind me, specifically Scott, Blake, Joe, and Kevan, just part in one of baseball special and unique accomplishments...a moment they will remember forever.
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