TAMPA, Fl. — The Clearwater (Fla.) Threshers, a minor-league High-A affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies, become part of baseball history on Monday night by winning a game without a hit or walk.
How is that even possible? The Threshers used a new minor-league extra innings tiebreaker rule in which a runner starts on second base to secure a run in the eighth inning of their 1-0 victory over the Tampa Tarpons (the Yankees' affiliate).
The Threshers are the first Florida State League team since Aug. 23, 1992, to win a game despite not recording a hit.
Because minor league games during doubleheaders are only seven innings, the tiebreaker rule was applied at the start of the eighth. The Threshers were able to get the runner on home courtesy of an error (which advanced him to third) and then a game-winning fielder's choice ground ball by Clearwater's Daniel Brito in which the winning run, Luke Williams, beat the throw home.
The Tarpons did not score in the bottom half of the inning.
An automatic runner doesn't count against a perfect game or no-hitter -- nor does it affect a pitcher's ERA, according to MLB.com. The last time a major league team lost despite a no-hit effort occurred in 2008 when the Angels fell 1-0 to the Dodgers.
The extra-innings rule was introduced as an experiment by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to boost the pace of play. It is unlikely to be implemented in the majors, Manfred said.
