ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays had an eventful sweep of the Indians in Wednesday’s matinee doubleheader, cruising 8-1 in the opener and winning the second game 4-0 with five pitchers combining to hold the Indians without a hit. But under baseball’s rules regarding seven-inning games played in doubleheaders, they do not get credit for a no-hitter.
Collin McHugh, Josh Fleming, Diego Castillo, Matt Wisler and Pete Fairbanks combined to work the seven innings, allowing only two walks.
The seven-inning no-hitter issue first came up April 25, when Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner held the Braves hitless in the second game of a doubleheader, but it was not considered an official no-hitter.
It stemmed from a ruling by the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician of Major League Baseball, that “no-hitters by teams and individuals shall not be credited in scheduled seven-inning games, unless the game goes to extra innings and the team (or individual in a complete game) pitches at least nine innings and does not allow a hit.”
There also was a 1991 ruling by a Major League Baseball committee on statistical accuracy that defined a no-hitter as “a game in which a pitcher, or pitchers, gives up no hits while pitching at least nine innings. A pitcher may give up a run or runs so long as he pitches nine innings or more and does not give up a hit.”
The Rays took an early lead in the second game as rookie shortstop Taylor Walls singled in runs in the second and fourth innings. Yandy Diaz singled in two more in the fifth as the Rays won their fourth straight to improve to 51-36.
In the second, Francisco Mejia doubled with one out, Mike Brosseau walked and Walls blooped a single to left. In the fourth, Brosseau doubled with two outs and Walls followed with a single to left.
Walls and third baseman Wander Franco, who were joined Wednesday by a third prized prospect in Vidal Brujan, both made several highlight-worthy plays.
But it was their collision on a third-inning grounder that allowed the Rays to work on the no-hitter. The ball hit by Oscar Mercado originally was ruled a single by official scorer Tim Clodjeaux, then changed an inning later to an error on Franco for forcing the collision.
The Rays have thrown one official no-hitter, by Matt Garza on July 26, 2010.
The Rays won the opener 8-1 as veteran centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier led the way with a career-high five RBIs, doubling in two in a three-run first and hitting a three-run homer — his first at home since 2019 — in the third.
Brandon Lowe continued his warming trend with a fourth-inning homer, his fourth in his last six games and sixth in 12 games, and his career-high 18th overall. Brett Phillips homered in the sixth. Brujan knocked in the first run with a single in his first at-bat.
Michael Wacha gave the Rays six solid innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Ryan Sherriff worked the seventh.
The Rays scored all their runs with two outs and two strikes.
The teams were playing a doubleheader after the Rays proactively postponed Tuesday’s game in advance of Hurricane Elsa. Under rules adopted last year, that meant playing two seven-inning games, with the benefit of adding an extra 27th man to the rosters.
The Rays grabbed the lead from the start off Indians starter J.C. Mejia, and Brujan, the dynamic infield/outfield prospect, played a key role.
A one-out Ji-Man Choi walk, a Joey Wendle fielder’s choice grounder and Austin Meadows being hit by a pitch put two Rays on with two outs.
Brujan laced a ball to rightfield for an RBI single in his first big-league at-bat, looking into the Rays dugout, then punching the air and pounding his chest twice.
Brujan stole second, and that also mattered as Kiermaier followed with a double to right that made it 3-0.
The Indians got one back in the second, Franmil Reyes leading off with a homer off Wacha. But Wacha escaped whatever other trouble he had. He got a key out in the third when the Indians had two on, and he got Jose Ramirez to pop up with Reyes on deck. He also got three big outs after starting the fifth with a hit batter and a double, retiring Daniel Johnson, Cesar Hernandez and Amed Rosario in order.
