Madison Bumgarner threw a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their win against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
Except it didn’t count.
Bumgarner struck out seven in Arizona’s 7-0 win, but since it was the second game of a seven-inning doubleheader, it’s not counted as an official no-hitter.
Bumgarner had many close calls with no-no’s as a member of the San Francisco Giants. But he used his dry humor during a postgame appearance.
“I want to thank Atlanta for the shadows and I want to thank (commissioner) Rob Manfred for the seven-inning games,” Bumgarner said, per USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
When Major League Baseball implemented the seven-inning doubleheader rule last year, it already was known a no-hitter wouldn’t be possible unless the game reached at least nine innings. And even though it didn’t count, Bumgarner still made some pretty cool history.
He became the first pitcher to allow zero hits in a complete game shorter than nine innings since Devern Hansack for the Red Sox in 2006 (only five innings), according to ESPN Stats & Info.
At least Bumgarner still has three World Series titles to his name.
