There’s an unwritten rule that you don’t talk about a no-hitter. You don’t talk to the pitcher, you don’t mention it to your buddies, you certainly try to avoid calling attention to it if you’re a broadcaster. It’s even worse when a perfect game is on the line. Monday night though, the jinx was on at ESPN.com.
Do you know what came up in their four little boxes on the homepage at 8:40 p.m. last night? Under a big, red “BREAKING NEWS†banner, there was a nice little story called “No-hitter alert”.
If you clicked on that, it brought up a “Feeling Perfect?” headline.
Yes, Brett Cecil of the Toronto Blue Jays had retired the first 18 Indians he had faced. And now the whole sports world would have their attention called to it.
So, how long do you think that perfect game lasted? After retiring the first Cleveland Indian in the seventh inning, Cecil gave up consecutive walks to spoil his perfect day. Two batters after that, Jhonny Peralta singled to break up the no-hitter and bring in a run.
After six innings of hard work, ESPN not only destroyed a chance at one of the rarest feats in sports, but also ruined his no-hitter and the kid’s shutout bid. Lucky for him, he was still able to hang on for a win.
Apparently someone in Bristol, Conn., didn’t want this to go down.
Cecil finished with only that one hit against him, but he will be remembered, by RTP at least, as the one perfect game that got away. That is, until ESPN ruins the next one’s chances.