The English language might need more than one word to contain the confidence of Michael Lorenzen. The career of the 31-year-old pitcher who fired a no-hitter in his second start for the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night has, in many ways, been a study in confidence — one form of it, at least.
Relegated to the bullpen as a rookie, when his first 21 starts for the 2015 Cincinnati Reds didn’t go swimmingly, Lorenzen continued to state his case as a potential starter. He established himself as a useful major-league relief pitcher across six more seasons under the Reds’ control and hit free agency after 2021.