SUNDAY NOTABLES

THE REGULAR SEASON ENDS THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY

THE REMARKABLE DODGERS LOSS LAST NIGHT

When I’m not writing baseball, and in particular, Billy-Ball, I’m thinking about writing baseball, and in particular, Billy-Ball. So it was last night, I was watching Yoshinobu Yamamoto cruise towards a no-hitter against the Orioles on the night Baltimore was celebrating the 30th anniversary of 2131, Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record. An event so remarkable and so wonderful that many say it rescued baseball from the trash heap after the baseball lockout/strike that deprived us of the World Series. Who am I to disagree with “many.”

The Dodgers held a 3-0 lead going to the 9th inning. Yoshi looked great. Sure, the Dodgers had blown numerous scoring chances, going 3-14 with runners in scoring position, but Yoshi was throwing 92.3 mph in the 1st inning and throwing 92.7 mph in the 9th inning. He had thrown 104 pitches entering the inning (he finished with 112) and had only thrown nine pitches in the 8th inning.

Since 1995, only Hisashi Iwakuma of the Mariners had thrown a no-hitter against the Orioles, and he did that in Seattle. Only one pitcher has thrown a no-hitter against the Orioles at Camden Yards, and that was Boston’s Hideo Nomo on April 4, 2001. So the storyline of another Japanese pitcher throwing a no-hitter fit in well with the narrative of Davey Johnson, the former Orioles second baseman who ended his career playing in Japan.

Yes, indeed, with one out and then two outs, Yoshi and Billy were sitting pretty. Yamamoto had retired 17 consecutive batters since issuing back-to-back walks to Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo in the 3rd. At that point, the Dodgers had a win probability of 99.5%, as you see above, according to Baseball Savant. Then up steps Jackson Holliday, who wears #7 just like Cal Ripken Sr., and he hits long and deep and just over the fence as centerfielder Andy Pages watches and hopes to play a carom.

There goes the no-no, there goes the shutout, and there goes Yamamoto as Dave Roberts pulls him from the game. The good baseball fans of Camden Yards. gave him a standing ovation.

We will get back to the Dodgers in a moment, but first, I want to show you an incredible catch from the Boston centerfielder, Ceddanne Rafaela. I’m showing you this because I believe that if Rafaela were in the center instead of Pages, we would be celebrating a no-hitter this morning. At the end of this story, you will see a recap of the Orioles’ 9th inning, including Holliday’s homer.

I could take the time to relive every agonizing moment from this point forward, but I’m going to cut to the chase and give you a quick rundown before you get run down.

Following the Holliday homer, Blake Treinen enters for the Dodgers, looking to get the final out and earn the save. Treinen allows a double to Jeremiah Jackson. He then hits Gunnar Henderson with a pitch at 1-2, and now the tying runs are on base. Ryan Mountcastle works a walk, and the tying runs are in scoring position, and the winning run is on base. Colton Cowser walks, and it is now a 3-2 game. The tying run is 90 feet away, the winning run is on second, and Treinen is on his way to the showers as Tanner Scott enters the game. This is the same Tanner Scott, who Friday night had given up a walkoff home run to Orioles rookie Samuel Basallo. Emmanuel Rivera's walkoff single then scored two, and the Orioles won, 4-3.

That was the fifth straight loss for the Dodgers. They have lost seven out of eight. Since the All-Star break, they are 20-25. Since July 1, they are 25-32. They are 33-38 on the road. Since July 1, they have been 10-20 on the road. Since August 1, the Dodgers are 5-13 abroad, and they have 10 more road games left.

The Padres (77-65) finally won one, and they are now one game back of the Dodgers (78-64) in the NL West. In terms of postseason positioning, the Dodgers are now five games behind the Phillies (83-59).

There has been at least one no-hitter thrown in every MLB season since 2005. We don’t have one yet this season. We have three four-homer games, but no no-no.

Since August 1, the Dodgers are 15-18 and the Orioles are 16-17. In the past few weeks, the Orioles have taken series from the Mariners, Astros, Red Sox, Padres, and Dodgers.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles became the first team in the expansion era (since 1961) to win a game after breaking up a no-hit bid when down to their final out. Watch it happen: