Let’s get this out of the way first: a combined no-hitter is not a real no-hitter. Or, if it is, it’s not anything to celebrate. A true no-hitter — that is to say, one thrown by one pitcher, keeping a lineup off balance through three-plus turns through the order and walking around the mound and wiping sweat off his brow in the eighth to catch a quick breather before facing the clean-up man once again — is a vision of baseball success; it’s one player besting an entire team in the foundational contest of the game. A combined no-hitter, on the other hand, is a vision baseball failure; it’s one entire team collectively unable to take the first tentative step towards competing.
Red Sox 3, Brewers 6: No No-No, But. . . You Know
