Washington Nationals’ right-hander Ramon Ortiz surrendered his first hit with no one out in the ninth inning, then lost a shutout two batters later when Albert Pujols blasted a home run.
But Ortiz’ effort led the Nationals to a 4-1 win over the Cardinals.
Had he pitched the no-hitter, Ortiz would have become the first pitcher in franchise history to throw a no-hitter since Dennis Martinez threw a perfect game for the Expos against the Dodgers on July 28, 1991.
I never have any problem giving credit where credit is due. He was outstanding,” Manager Tony La Russa said. “He kept controlling the counts, got strike one with a real good pitch and then got better after that. We didn’t have a whole lot to hit. I thought he looked good the whole time. But even when he walked a few guys … then, if you took strike one, he got nastier and nastier. So we tried to jump him before he got too deep in the count. He didn’t throw the ball over the middle. He pitched very well.”