And for the Royals no runs, on no hits......

Apparently John Lester does not like to be shown up. Last fall fellow highly touted rookie Red Sox hurler Clay Bucholz shocked the baseball world by throwing a no-hitter. Last night Lester became the latest Red Sox rookie pitcher to go the distance without giving up a hit. I was able to see the 9th inning last night - ESPN kindly patched over from the Cubs and Astros. And while I was watching this I realized something - there is really nothing like a no hitter. The no-hitter is like the perfect song (in my opinion Lightning Crashes by live) slowly building to an ultimate crescendo. There are certainly other great songs and other great acts in baseball, but the slowly building rock anthem really belongs to the no-hitter. The game begins, just as the song, by slowly building a strong foundation through the first few innings ("A new mother cries.....") and suddenly the announcers are mentioning - "one time through the order and Lester hasn't given up a hit". Now things are about to get serious. There is a moment in every no-hitter when it moves from being a well pitched outing to HOLY CRAP THIS MIGHT HAPPEN!!! I think its somewhere during the 6th inning. If you survive the 6th you are two-thirds of the way there, you only have to see each batter one more time, the stadium starts to buzz, and ESPN now mentions "John Lester has a no-hitter through 6" on the bottom line ("Pale blue colored eyes!"). When the pitchers enters the dugout after the 6th he beings living on an island. No one wants to talk to him, no one wants to mention anything, no one wants to be that guy. (amazing guitar interlude) Most no-hitters I can remember have a defining defensive play,and Lester's was no exception. Ellsbury made a rediculous diving catch in the 4th inning preserving the no-no ("I can feel it!!"). And then there is the 9th inning. I have never been in a stadium where a pitcher took a no-hitter into the 9th, but I can imagine the ovation as he walks to the mound, history a mere 3 outs away ("Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind!"). Once the third out is secured the moment peaks, it has been building for 27 outs, and now it lets loose. The pitcher is mobbed on the mound as everyone wants to remember that moment, their part of history ("I can feel it......"). If you are ever casually watching a baseball game, make sure you don't turn it off until both teams have their first hit. You don't want to miss that chance to hear the song from the beginning - the ending is great, but its that much better if you know where it started.