Saturday, July 11, 2009

Congrats, Jonathan Sanchez

Jonathan Sanchez celebrates after his no-hitter last night.


Sanchez hugs his father.

I'm not the type of Dodger fan who finds it necessary to hate the Giants in order to love the Dodgers. Don't get me wrong — I still find the Giants annoying and wish they'd stop winning already. But Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter last night was a cool baseball moment that transcended the uniform he was wearing.

Yes, it was also annoying in that it overshadowed Manny Ramirez's historic home run and Matt Kemp's all-around awesomeness. But who can't enjoy that on a pitching staff packed to the gills with Cy Young talent, it was the 2-8 starter demoted to the bullpen who, in a spot-start, threw the season's first no-hitter? With his father in the stands, watching his son pitch in person for the first time?

If it's been a magical season for the Dodgers, then it must be starting to feel magical for the Giants too. In fact, it's gratifying to see the NL West — home of three of the top five records in the NL — getting some positive recognition. No more "NL Worst" jokes — except when it comes to the victims of Sanchez's no-hitter, the Padres.

photos by Ben Margot/AP

7 comments:

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Now that I've had some time to reflect, it really was a special moment, and if anyone on that team deserved it, it was Sanchez.

rbnlaw said...

Agree. He's by far the least intimidating pitcher on that squad, but also the most likable.

Good on him. Ha ha! to Matty and Timmah.

rbnlaw said...

Oh, and to Barry Z: Glad to see you're still earning that fat paycheck.

Steve Sax said...

Way to go Sanchez.

ubragg said...

It is too bad that it was an error rather than a walk that prevented it from being a perfect game.

JL said...

congrats to him. sanchez doesnt have the douche in him.
if lince or cain did that, OMG. can you imagine SF fans?

Nims said...

Here here for giving a pitcher credit where credit is due. Watching Sanchez hug his dad after completing the no-no was a classic sports moment that for a few minutes made me forget he's a Giant. Bravo.