Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wade Miley throws his first career no-hitter as Reds beat Cleveland
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Wade Miley discusses his no-hitter against Cleveland, the 17th no-hitter in Reds history
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CLEVELAND – Back in February, when pitchers and catchers were reporting to spring training, Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said Wade Miley had an inside track toward a spot in the starting rotation.
The Reds signed Miley, an 11-year veteran, heading into the 2020 season to be a mainstay in their starting rotation. But he was injured for most of the year. Miley lost a top half of the rotation spot for 2021, and Bell didn’t guarantee at the start of camp that Miley would open the year as one of the Reds five starters.
By the end of the spring, Miley showed he was healthy. Over the first month of the season, he had the lowest ERA among Reds starters.
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On Friday against Cleveland, Miley threw the 17th no-hitter in Reds history and led Cincinnati to a 3-0 win over Cleveland.
“It’s not that I think it’s impossible, it’s just so far-fetched,” Miley said. “Just to be able to be a part of something like that… I don’t know. I’m speechless.”
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Miley is one of the fastest pitchers in the game. He never turns his back on the catcher, and he throws his next pitch a few seconds after getting the ball back from the catcher.
As the pressure grew, Miley’s approach didn’t change. It hasn’t ever since the Reds signed him two years ago even as he battled through a hamstring injury, a groin strain and a shoulder strain.
“Injuries can be a part of this game, and getting through an injury and how that affects you and the work it takes to come back from that, and it can change mechanics, it can do all sorts of things,” Bell said. “(Miley) is a huge part of our staff. It hasn’t been easy for him, so it is extra meaningful.”
Miley said he isn’t very superstitious. He tried to talk to a few of his teammates late in the game, but the rest of the Reds refused to break the baseball tradition that you don’t talk to a teammate throwing a no-hitter.
There were some things on Friday, though, he didn’t plan.
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A few days ago, Miley’s 4-year-old son insisted that he needed to put a stick-on tattoo on his father’s arm. Jeb Boone Miley picked a tattoo of The Hulk, a green comic book character. Against Wade’s wishes, Jeb put the stick-on on Wade’s forearm so his jersey couldn’t hide it.
After the no-hitter, a few of Miley’s teammates insisted he make the tattoo permanent.
“When the game was over and I was almost running to tackle him,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “I realized ‘(You) threw a no-hitter in the Major Leagues with a fake Hulk tattoo on your arm.’ I’m trying to talk him into getting actually tattooed on his arm.”
“You had a fake one, you threw a no-no, now you make it for real,” right fielder Nick Castellanos said.
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The rest of the day didn’t go as planned, either.
Friday’s game was delayed by nearly 90 minutes. Before the game, Miley walked into the clubhouse a few times and pretended the game had been postponed.
“I yelled ‘rain out’ a bunch, telling everyone they banged it,” Miley said. “Position players were getting pretty frustrated with me. It’s kind of what I do.”
Before the game started at 8:30 p.m., Barnhart left something important in his locker. For each game, he has a “catcher card” with scouting reports of the opposing team. During games, he pulls it out of his pocket and uses it to manage the game.
According to Barnhart, Friday wasn’t a typical day at the ballpark.
“We didn’t have a pitcher-catcher meeting prior to the game,” Barnhart said. “Tyler Naquin was saying that he played the wrong side of the outfield card the entire game. And Wade was saying we should bang the game because of the rain from about 6:30, on. A lot of weird, funny things happened.”
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Tucker Barnhart says catching Wade Miley no-hitter was ‘coolest thing I’ve ever done’
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On the mound, Miley has leaned on his changeup and his cutter this season. It took every one of his pitches on Friday, including the ones Miley has stayed away from in a few games this season.
When Miley’s changeup is at its best, he has said that allows him to sneak in his fastball late in counts for outs. Against Cleveland, Miley threw a changeup on four of his first five pitches. He got three outs with his fastball over the first two innings.
During his second time through the order, Miley used his secondary pitches to get the biggest outs. In the fifth, he got out Cleveland’s first two hitters with cutters late in the count, and he finished the inning with a curveball that Cleveland center fielder Harold Ramirez rolled over for a groundout.
Miley lost his perfect game after second baseman Nick Senzel couldn’t complete the play on a sharp ground ball up the middle, but Miley held onto the no-hitter with a fastball that Cleveland right fielder Jordan Luplow lined out to right.
By the seventh inning, designated hitter Jesse Winker turned his attention away from preparing for his at-bats to admiring Miley’s start.
“That was the first time I’ve been a part of a no-hitter on our side. I just wanted to make sure I watched”, Winker said.
What happened next was a moment that Bell, Barnhart and Winker all called one of the most special of their career.
In the top of the ninth inning, second baseman Nick Senzel scored Cincinnati’s first run of the game. He singled and advanced to second on a single by designated hitter Jesse Winker. Right fielder Nick Castellanos hit a short ground ball in the infield on the next at-bat, but pitcher Emmanuel Clase’s throw to second was off-target.
As the throw dribbled into the outfield, Senzel sprinted from third to give the Reds a one run lead. The Reds scored two more runs in the ninth, giving Miley a 3-0 lead.
Miley finished the no-hitter in the ninth with a line out, a strikeout and a groundout. Barnhart was the first player to hug him on the mound, and then the entire team came running from the dugout and the bullpen to celebrate.
“I’m just happy to do it with this group of guys,” Miley said. “Tucker Barnhart, I can’t say enough about what he’s done for me. Just everybody. Our training staff, getting me healthy, my family supporting me in this journey. I just thank the good lord for giving me this opportunity to do this for a living.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘It’s just so far-fetched’: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wade Miley throws his first career no-hitter