Sanchez flirts with History in No-Hit bid

Tigers defeat the Twins and move into 1st Place

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    icon May 25, 2013
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After attending over 500 MLB games in my lifetime I was watching history for 8 and 1/3 innings at Comerica Park on Friday night.   The Minnesota Twins were in town to take on the Tigers in the second game of a 4 game series.    The cool evening would start out with the Tigers taking an early 5-0 lead after 3 innings.    Anibal Sanchez the starting pitcher for the Tigers who has been good this season despite his 4-4 record coming into the game. 

The Tigers playing in front of a sold out crowd would see Anibal Sanchez making a bid for his 2nd career no-hitter.   Sanchez was in total command through out the entire game by only allowing 2 walks early in the game and then settling down to retire 17 in a row at one point.   The Tiger staked him to an early lead with Miguel Cabrera getting a 2 run RBI single in the 2nd inning to keep up his torrid pace. 

Sanchez had pitched a No-hitter for the Florida Marlins in 2006 finally got the crowd fired up in the 7th inning.   The fans in attendance realized that they might be witnessing history being made.   As Tiger announcers on the radio Dan Dickerson and Jim Price were commenting through out the game of the remarkable control that Sanchez had the entire evening.  While television commentators Mario Impemba and Rod Allen said "Sanchez was untouchable this evening."

When Anibal Sanchez came out for the 9th inning the crowd was cheering on each and every pitch for history to be made.  Barely anyone had left the ballpark with the Tigers leading 6-0.  Now Sanchez had to face the meat of the Twins line-up with Jamey Carroll making the first out.   One of the top hitters in the American League Joe Mauer now would battle Anibal with only two outs to go.   However Joe Mauer would win this battle and send a line drive right back over Anibal's head for a single to center and end the no-hit bid.  The crowd already on it's feet gave Sanchez a loud ovation for his great effort.  Sanchez would end the game with a 1 hit shut out and 13 strikeouts on the evening. 

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