Alex Cobb's no-hit bid came up short by just a few inches Tuesday night.
The Giants right-hander took a no-hitter through the ninth inning of Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, and was just one out shy from fulfilling a historic night at Oracle Park. But Cincinnati's Spencer Steer lined a double into right-center field and just past the glove of Giants outfielder Luis Matos.
While some fans believe Matos could have read the ball better or given more effort, Matos had just a 35 percent chance of catching the ball, per Statcast.
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Steer launched the no-hitter-snapping double with a maximum exit velocity of 99.5 mph, per Baseball Savant. It was the fourth-hardest ball hit by the Reds all night.
After the game, Steer discussed what was going through his head during the at-bat.
"Yeah, first time. Probably don't get that opportunity many times in your career," Steer told reporters postgame (h/t Bally Sports Cincinnati). "Was just looking up there to be aggressive, he's thrown me splitters all night. I feel like I saw 20 splitters so was kind of looking for that pitch.
San Francisco Giants
"… I guess you could say it was kind of relief. Hats off to him. He pitched unbelievable tonight. His fastball, his splitter, everything was moving a ton. He was living on the corners all night. He was unbelievable. I feel like we have a really good lineup and to do that against us is pretty tough."
Just moments before, Giants outfielder Austin Slater had a heroic catch that kept the no-no alive in the eighth.
But it still was a memorable night for Cobb, who finished with 131 pitches and that lone hit.
"It was still fun," he said afterward. "I wasn't mad, sad, I was just, 'All right, let's finish it off.' I'd at least like the [complete game] out of it. So many things have to go right for one of those to happen."