Usually when one thinks of no-hitters, they think of utter dominance. Maybe two or three walks, a decent amount of strikeouts, and a wake of confused hitters left behind. Then there are no hitters such as the one pitched last night by Francisco Liriano.
Liriano threw 123 pitches over nine innings, walking six while only striking out two. He threw first pitch balls to 19 of the 30 batters he faced. Of his 123 pitches, only 66 were strikes. His two strikeouts were the fewest in a no hitter since Jerry Reuss had two during his in 1980.
Also, the White Sox offense has been thoroughly anemic this season, hitting .236 for the year, which is 12th in the American League. Their OPS of .668 ranks 11th in the AL. Of their regulars, only Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin have an OPS+ of over 100. Their starting third baseman, Brent Morel, has an OPS+ of 20. Prized free agent acquisition Adam Dunn is hitting .157 for the Sox. This team is not the 1927 Yankees here.
Give Liriano credit for throwing the no hitter at a time where he was pitching for his spot in the rotation. Yes, it is special to pitch a no hitter. However, do not equate this no hitter to a dominant preformance. It was anything but.
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