Anytime a no-hitter is thrown at the MLB level, it's a special occasion and worthy of the sporting world's respect, but on Wednesday, Michael Lorenzen of the Philadelphia Phillies threw a no-no that made history in more ways than usual.
The Phillies came away with a 7-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, August 9. Lorenzen was the star of the show, tossing a 124-pitch no-hitter with four walks and five strikeouts.
A Historic Day for Michael Lorenzen
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Lorenzen is an alumnus of Fullerton High School in Southern California, wedged right between two MLB franchises in Anaheim and LA. He is one of four ballplayers to attend that school and then go on to pitch in the MLB. After Lorenzen's exploits last night, all four of them have thrown a no-hitter at the pro level — an absolutely mind-boggling stat.
The fact that only 4 pitchers in MLB history are from this high school and all 4 have tossed a no-hitter might be the most amazing baseball fact I've seen this season. pic.twitter.com/Va0Dtyo42y
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) August 10, 2023
Baseball is full of unbelievable coincidences, trends and statistics, but this one might just take the cake as the most unfathomable — right up there with father/son combo Cecil and Prince Fielder finishing their careers with exactly 319 homers apiece.
Making Lorenzen's accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that it was just his second outing for the Phillies after coming over from Detroit at the trade deadline. In his first start in red and white, he tossed eight innings of two-run ball, a huge debut performance that nobody expected him to top in his next opportunity. But he did just that, tossing nine shutout innings, issuing four walks and, of course, allowing zero hits.
For those curious, the other Fullerton alumni to become pros and subsequently throw a no-no are Steve Busby, Mike Warren and the legendary Walter Johnson. Busby had a very nice eight-season career in which he made two All Star teams in addition to throwing two no-hitters, including one where he was just a walk away from a perfect game. Busby, a Kansas City Royal for his whole career, is still the only pitcher to a throw no-hitter in each of his first two pro seasons.
Warren had a challenging three-year career with Oakland before flaming out of the league, but he will always have that no-hitter under his belt. Johnson is still considered one of the best pitchers of all time, and he is one of the talents that baseball fans wish they could see in the modern game with today's training behind him. It's an eclectic list, but all tied together by their high school and one big accomplishment at the pro level. And it surely gives hope and motivation to every teenager who steps on the mound for Fullerton High.
