Tuesday, April 23, 2019

No-Hitter Alert

Joseph Henry of Brunswick (picture courtesy of Brunswick School)
Joseph Henry of Brunswick threw a no-hitter today.

He struck out 11, walked three, hit two, and won 15-0 over St. Luke's of New Canaan.

I was the broadcaster.

As far as I know, it's the fourth no-no I've called, after Chris Visone of Windsor blanked Greenwich in the CIAC playoffs in 2002. The two other no-hitters came in 2015 -- one in softball and one in Babe Ruth baseball.

There are scoring decisions that can impact a game, and then there is the mercy rule. It takes a full game and shortens it based on score limitations.

That's what happened today. Brunswick rolled through the first inning, sending 18 men the plate and scoring 12 runs.

You had a strong suspicion that the game would be over after five.

Simply put, Henry dominated.

Despite hitting the first two batters he faced, he struck out the side in the first. He walked two to lead off another inning and proceeded to shut St. Luke's down again.

I'm not one to talk no-hitter until the middle innings of a game. Oh sure, I'll take note of it mentally, but I see no need to make a big deal about it.

But there would only be five innings in this one, so I needed to make a decision on how to call it.

In the end, I played it low-key. The 15-0 score and five innings impacted that, but I also had a St. Luke's mother who decided to stand just a few feet from me. I'm a firm believer in sportsmanship and not embarrassing anyone. This is high school sports after all.

So I called it straight and saved everything for the postgame.

Joseph was incredible. It's a no-hitter, and that's what matters. Whether it was five, seven, or nine innings, Joseph Henry pitched a no-hitter for Brunswick today, and that can never be taken away from him.

Watch it here.


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