Cole Hamels and Three Others Combine for No Hitter

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t given their fans much to cheer about in the 2014 season.  The club has been battling the New York Mets to avoid being last in the N.L East, which isn’t much to keep the fans interested as the season headed into September.  But on September 1st, there was a nice diversion for fans thinking of who should be traded in the off season when starter Cole Hamels and relievers Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, and Jonathan Papelbon combined on a no-hitter, beating the Atlanta Braves 7-0 in Atlanta.  It was the first combined no-hitter in Phillies’ history.

Here’s Hamels, who pitched the first six innings, in action:

No hitters almost always have some great defensive plays.  Here’s Marlon Byrd making a great catch in the third inning:

And here’s closer Jonathan Papelbon finishing up:

Center fielder Ben Revere drove in five runs for Philadelphia.  Revere, who bats leadoff, hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to drive in runs this season.  In 125 previous games, he had just 15 RBIs.  Still, Revere has been a bright spot for Philadelphia, batting .310 and stealing 40 bases through September 1st.