The no-hitter drama lasted about two minutes on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Milwaukee Brewers leadoff guy Jonathan Villar reached out and made contact with Jake Arrieta’s fifth pitch, knocking that 95-mph two-seam fastball into shallow left field for a soft broken-bat single. The Cubs wouldn’t have any Johnny Vander Meer flashbacks.
Arrieta wanted to jam Villar inside but missed his spot with a pitch that tailed down and away – and he still shattered the bat into pieces. As veteran catcher David Ross had to remind reporters in the clubhouse after a 7-2 win: “He is human.