The Angels’ Ervin Santana has thrown a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians in an afternoon contest in Cleveland. The Angels won the game 3-1. It’s the ninth no-hitter in Angels history, the third this season after Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander, and it’s on the site where Santana made his major league debut on May 17, 2005.
Travis Buck led off the ninth inning, pinch-hitting for Austin Kearns and was called out on strikes on a fastball that painted the outside corner on a 2-2 pitch.
Ezequiel Carrera, who scored a run for the Indians in the first inning on an error, a stolen base, a groundout and a wild pitch, was next, and grounded out to Howie Kendrick at second base on a routine bouncer.
Michael Brantley lifted a routine fly ball to center fielder Peter Bourjos to end it; Santana was dominant all day, walking just one (Lonnie Chisenhall) in the eighth inning, and striking out 10. He threw just 95 pitches in completing the gem, throwing 68 strikes.
Speaking of errors, the Indians themselves made five errors in this game, leading to two unearned Angels runs. The win itself was also key for the Angels, as it moved them to within 2.5 games of the AL West lead.