Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first no-hitter in team history Saturday night in Atlanta. Jimenez walked six, but retired the last 15 hitters he faced. He threw over 120 pitches. As a Giants fan who watches a lot of NL West games, I've been aware of how good Jimenez has been becoming over the last year or two, and now I think it's safe to say he's fully arrived on the national scene. Jimenez has dominant stuff with filthy movement and when he's dialed in he can be capable of nights like tonight. His biggest issue is control, this was evident even in this game with the six walks. But I think he is the real deal and will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Even though I'm not a Rockies fan and often root against them for the good of the Giants it was still pretty cool to see Jimenez so thrilled over a no-hitter. It's quite an accomplishment and it's just neat to see people excited about it. "It is every pitcher's dream to be out there for nine innings and throw a no-hitter," said Jimenez after the game. It's something I'm sure he'll never forget. Even Braves catcher Brian McCann was in awe saying, "I'd never been no-hit. I'd never even seen a no-hitter, except on TV. ... It was probably the best performance I've ever seen. He's impressive."
As is often the case in no-hitters, a great defensive play was made behind the pitcher. In this case it was center fielder Dexter Fowler making a nice diving catch on a line drive from Troy Glaus in the seventh inning. It really was quite a catch and Jimenez was clearly appreciative.
The Rockies (6-5) and Braves (6-5) have the rubber game of their three game set tomorrow at 11:35 a.m. on FSN-Rocky Mountain.
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