Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani. That's whom Division II college baseball player Brady Ware is being compared to.
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That's because Ware, a two-way player for the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds, did the unimaginable when he threw a no-hitter AND hit for the cycle in the same game on Friday. Yes, you read that correctly. It's the type of accomplishment that exists only in video games when you're playing on the easiest of difficulties — and even then it's hard to do.
Let's dive into Ware's ridiculous game.
Brady Ware's No-Hitter and Cycle Game
⚾️ | Brady Ware threw a no-hitter AND hit for the cycle IN THE SAME GAME! 🔥🐾@ESPNAssignDesk x #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/6wVqkHYEbe
— UIndy Athletics (@UIndyAthletics) April 7, 2023
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Here is Ware's hitting stat line from Game 2 of a doubleheader against Drury University of Springfield, Missouri: 4-for-4, a home run, two runs and five RBIs. And on the mound, he struck out 11 hitters over seven hitless innings. Ware got his cycle in reverse fashion, homering in the second inning and crushing a triple in the same inning, as UIndy put up eight runs in the frame. The graduate student from Poway, California, then notched an RBI double in the third inning and, finally, the single in the fifth inning.
It wasn't until about the fourth or fifth inning that Ware realized he had a no-hitter going.
"I wasn't really thinking about the cycle," Ware told IndyStar.com. "I feel like that's something that just kind of comes along. But I think once I got into the fourth or fifth inning and I realized I had no hits going, I definitely had a different mindset going out there but just trying to stay relaxed."
Unsurprisingly, a cycle and no-hitter has never been done at the professional or college baseball ranks. There have been 318 recognized no-hitters and 338 cycles in MLB history. Ruth never did both in one game, and Ohtani hasn't yet either. However, in 1888, Jimmy Ryan hit for the cycle in the same game he pitched in relief. That's probably as close as anyone's come, which should tell you just how awesome Ware's day was.
Here’s your look into some behind the scenes 📸 from Brady Ware and the Hounds today. Legendary performance from our guy @Bradyware4444 pic.twitter.com/3Os17cgUIl
— UIndy Baseball (@UIndyBaseball) April 7, 2023
Ware's performance on the mound was more surprising than at the plate, where he's hitting .315 with four home runs. Prior to the start, Ware hadn't pitched more than three innings in any appearance this season and had just 9.1 innings under his belt.
"(Ware) hadn't really pitched a whole lot and then this past week he threw a great bullpen session, and my pitching coach (Adam Cornwell) was like, 'I think he's ready,'" UIndy head coach Al Ready said. "He had the changeup, that's his best pitch. ... His fastball is in the mid to upper 80s, and that makes his changeup play up a little bit more. He's got a good breaking ball, too.
"When you see the swings-and-misses, the hitters just didn't look comfortable from the first pitch to the last pitch. That's when you know you got it. You're gonna have a special day as a pitcher."
A special day, indeed.
⚾️ | 🤩 pic.twitter.com/NqCKffjhLB
— UIndy Athletics (@UIndyAthletics) April 8, 2023
Ware was featured on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and has seen his name on websites such as MLB.com and just about everywhere else. He seemed awfully cool for someone who just did something that's never been done.
.@UIndyBaseball two-way @Bradyware4444 on life after throwing an 11-strikeout no-hitter and hitting for the cycle in the same game Friday against Drury. pic.twitter.com/4v8MbvNHJx
— Akeem Glaspie (@THEAkeemGlaspie) April 8, 2023
Unreal, Brady Ware. Hopefully, we see this kid in the bigs one day.
