Everyone Throws No Hitters

(BOD - Kellie Pickler)

Matt Garza, of the Tampa Bay Rays, became the fifth pitcher of the 2010 season to throw a no hitter (truthfully, it should be six as Armando Gallarraga was robbed of perfection by Jim Joyce). Only the 1991 season had more pitchers weave no-nos when seven players turned the trick. It almost seems like no-hitters have become commonplace (Hell, even I threw one this year).

A lot of pundits are asking why the feat has been so prevalent this year. Here are the main reasons currently being argued (I’ll save my own hypothesis till the end, primarily because it’s the correct one):

Hitters aren’t juiced anymore

I don’t really buy this argument because, for some reason, everyone thinks that hitters were the only players to use performance-enhancing drugs. If you believe that, then I have a few jars of snake oil that I’d like to sell you.

The hitters were juicing, the pitchers were juicing, even the ball boys were probably juicing. The playing field was level then and the playing field is level now.

Young pitchers are way more talented

Yes, it does seem like every young pitcher entering the majors over the last three years can throw 95 miles an hour with relative ease. And, not only are these guys throwing such ridiculous gas, but they have movement on their heaters as well. It’s almost unfair to be able to cut or sink a fastball that threatens the sound barrier.

Couple those heat-seeking fastballs with ungodly breaking stuff and today’s hitters are facing a Herculean task every time they step up to the plate.

So that must be the reason, right? Wrong. The best indicator of pitcher dominance is strikeouts. There hasn’t been a pitcher with 300 strikeouts in a season (not named Randy Johnson or Curt Schilling) since the late 1990s. Furthermore, no other pitcher has come close (other than Pedro).

Yes, pitchers are probably more talented these days, but so are the hitters. Which leads me to:

Defences are amazing

If pitching and hitting cancel each other out, then the only explanation for influx in no hitters is better defences. Fielders are more athletic and more talented then ever before. They are getting to balls and making plays that used to be considered amazing and are now deemed to be routine.

Watch any highlights on Sportscentre: there will be 8-10 great plays made each and every night.

Plus, there has been a shift in baseball thinking towards defensive play due to new statistical models that place a premium on defence to win games. Yes, they are the bailiwick of nerds and shut-ins, but the powers that be have decided to listen to these guys and their message, which is: defence equals victories.

With fielders making outs on balls that used to be hits, they are given their pitchers a chance to throw a 0 under the H column every time they step on the bump.