In the final game of the Washington Nationals' 2014 regular season, starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman threw the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise against the Miami Marlins. Nationals' outfielder Steven Souza Jr. made a diving over-the-shoulder catch with two outs in the ninth to save the no-hitter.
Zimmermann has had a tremendous 2014 season and was an All-Star for the second straight year. The 28-year-old was 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 32 starts and helped lead the Nations to a 96-66 record to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the National League. He only surrendered 13 home runs in nearly 200 innings pitched, which is great news for the Nats moving forward to the postseason.
The Nationals defeated the Marlins 1-0 on Sunday afternoon in a pitcher's duel between Zimmermann and Henderson Alvarez. Nationals' shortstop Ian Desmond hit a home run in the second inning, which was enough to carry Washington through the rest of the game. Alvarez gave up 11 hits and just one earned run through seven innings, but Zimmermann was nearly flawless and only let up one walk (to first baseman Justin Bour in the fifth inning) throughout the entire game.
But there was a moment of drama with two outs in the top of the ninth inning when Christian Yelich came to the plate. On a 2-1 count with two outs, Zimmermann hurled a 94-mph fast ball on the outside corner and Yelich showed his opposite field power and drove it to deep left-center field. Nationals' rookie left fielder Steven Souza Jr. and center fielder Denard Span took off for the deep drive while the stadium sat silent. Souza's angle of pursuit couldn't have been any better as he dove at the warning track to make an over-the-shoulder grab to preserve the no-hitter.
The home crowd erupted and the Nationals dugout emptied as everyone charged at Zimmermann to celebrate the historic feat. Souza, who came on in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement, was also mobbed for his web gem that perhaps saved the game as well. With the win, the Nationals finished two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the NL.
"I thought there was no way this would ever happen. My career numbers are something like one hit per inning, so I figure if I can make it out of the first, the hit's coming in the second," said Zimmermann, in this ESPN article. "But today was one of those special days."
It was a special day indeed, and Zimmermann did not hesitate to voice his appreciate for Souza's effort.
"It was too loud to hear everything he was saying," Souza said. "But I heard, 'I love you' and 'Thank you.'"
Check out the video of Zimmermann's no-hit celebration and Souza's diving grab below:
