WASHINGTON — Max Scherzer pitched a no-hitter and came agonizingly close to a perfect game, hitting a batter with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday in the Washington Nationals’ 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Scherzer retired the first 26 hitters he faced and was one strike away from the 22nd perfect game in the major leagues since 1900.
Pinch-hitter Jose Tabata was all that stood between Scherzer and pitching’s ultimate achievement. Tabata fouled off three 2-2 pitches and then was clipped by an 86-mile-per-hour slider when he seemed to drop his elbow.