The thing about the game of baseball is that you never know what is going to happen. When you scan your ticket and walk through the turnstiles there is a sense of wonder. Will tonight be the night that you see something incredible, unique, or even historic? These are the same feelings that baseball fans have shared down through the years.

I remember talking to my grandfather, an avid baseball fan, who would tell me of games he had listened to or experienced in some way that had an indelible impact on his life. Many of these memories became my own as I listened to him recount “the shot heard round the world” or Jackie Robinson stealing home during a World Series. These are the memories that remain with us throughout our lives.

This season for the Arizona Diamondbacks has been especially trying. I say that from experience having sat through every home game in the 2004 season when the Dbacks lost 111 games. In many ways 2021 has felt like deja vu. For most of the season the records of the 2021 team exactly matched that of the 2004 team. It wasn’t just that the team was losing games but that it felt like they were not even competitive. Both seasons were filled with injuries to key personnel and players who extremely underperformed expectations.

By the time the all-star break came it was time to look to next year. But in doing so, we look past the remaining seven weeks of this season. With winning no longer a primary driving factor, the games now turn towards trying to identify which of the players on the current roster you can build around to start climbing back into contention in future seasons.

Fans need to modify their expectations and change how they watch games. It becomes less about wins and losses and more about understanding the game at its essence. Do you want to build the next roster around strong pitching or do you focus on an offense that will outscore the opponent regardless of how poorly the pitching staff plays? Success of course comes from a delicate balance between these two extremes.

As the gates to last night’s game opened, I was again standing in line waiting to enter Chase Field. I’ve gotten to know most of those working the gates, a benefit to going to so many games and seeing the same people. We always talk about the previous game and ponder what might happen in the up coming game. But tonight I can safely say that neither the guest relations staff nor myself ever considered what we were about to witness.

The Diamondbacks, holders of the worst record in Major League Baseball, were facing the San Diego Padres who were currently the second wild card team if the postseason began today. On the mound for the Padres was Joe Musgrove who has blossomed into a dominating pitcher.

The Diamondbacks would counter with Tyler Gilbert who had been promoted from Triple-A Reno 11 days ago. Gilbert was forced into the starting rotation as a result of continued injuries to the pitching staff. This was in fact Gilbert’s first Major League start. He had been in three games for the Diamondbacks in relief. Those appearances could best be described as adequate. I don’t think anyone thought he was the dominating answer to the pitching woes Arizona has been facing.

If I am being honest, I doubt many Diamondbacks fans even knew anything about Tyler Gilbert before yesterday’s game. This assessment was validated based on the number of questions I received from those in the stands or on social media who had no idea how he even came to the Diamondbacks system. I replied that Gilbert was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2020. He came to the Dodgers in a trade in February 2020 from the Philadelphia Phillies who had drafted him in the 6th round of the 2015 draft.

For those unaware of the Rule 5 draft, it is held each December where teams who do not have a full 40-man roster to select players from other organizations. It was designed to allow players some level of movement in the minor leagues. Players who were 18 or younger when they were initially drafted have to be protected on a team’s 40-man roster within 5 seasons otherwise they are available in the Rule 5 draft. If a player is drafted in the Rule 5 draft, the team losing the player receives $100,000. The drafted player has to remain on the 26-man roster of the receiving team. If they are not they must be placed on outright waivers to be removed from the roster then offered back to the original team for $50,000. If the original team does not wish to reacquire the player they can then go to the minors of the team that drafted them. That is a long winded explanation to say that it’s a gamble to draft someone in the Rule 5 draft and while some do go on to be successful, most end up being fringe players that kick around for a few seasons. There are exceptions to that of course but those tend to be rare.

Given that history of the Rule 5 draft and the fact that Tyler Gilbert was selected then put on waivers and the Dodgers did not want to reacquire him and he spent most of this season in the minor leagues, the expectations for last night’s appearance as a starter were very low. On paper this looked like a bullpen game where Gilbert would pitch a couple of innings then hand the ball off to another reliever. Last night proved why you actually play the game and don’t go by what it says on paper.

The game started with a lead-off walk to Tommy Pham, a few of the fans who have been to a lot of games began to groan and comment “here we go again” under their breath. All-star Adam Frazier then hit into a double play. That was followed by Manny Machado striking out. Gilbert threw 15 pitches, not a bad total for an inning of work. Arizona’s offense came alive against Musgrove. The Diamondbacks sent nine men to the plate and scored 5 runs to give the rookie a lead.

The second inning, Gilbert was again rather efficient getting the Padres 3 up and 3 down in just 8 pitches. If this were a bullpen game, he had done what was being asked but given the low pitch count and the struggles of the Diamondbacks bullpen it was worth leaving the kid in to continue.

The third inning was similar to the second with the Padres going down in order. Wil Myers struck out followed by a ground out to third and Musgrove striking out. Pitch count for the third inning was 14, again fairly low. I’ll admit, at this point in the game nothing seemed dominating to suggest that something was afoot that we should be paying attention to.

In the fourth inning, Tommy Pham again walked to lead off the inning and Adam Frazier again hit into a double play this one to first baseman Pavin Smith unattended. Manny Machado flew out to left field to end the inning. Gilbert’s pitch count for these three outs was 8 pitches.

The tide began to change in the fifth inning. Jake Cronenworth flew out to center fielder Ketel Marte and Austin Nola flew out to right fielder Josh Rojas. Both of those outs were a bit more difficult than an average lazy fly ball to the outfield. Eric Hosmer hit a line drive back up the middle that Tyler Gilbert snagged to record the third out. Total pitch count was again 8 pitches. At this point you start to realize that the Padres have not gotten a hit and Gilbert has only thrown 53 pitches. Musgrove has been forced out of the game giving up 6 runs and 10 hits while throwing 97 pitches (44 more than Gilbert had thrown).

The sixth inning started with Wil Myers flying out to Marte and Trent Grisham hitting a ball between second and first that Pavin Smith snagged throwing to Gilbert covering for the second out. Jake Marisnick flies out to left field in a ball that many thought was going for a hit. Pitch count for the sixth was 7 pitches which was incredible. The Diamondbacks score again in the sixth making it 7-0.

For the third time in the game, Tommy Pham walks to lead off an inning. Adam Frazier lines out on a bullet to third base for the first out. Manny Machado pops out to first base in foul territory for the second out. Jake Cronenworth hits a grounder to second baseman Josh VanMeter who tosses to shortstop Nick Ahmed at second for the force. This would be the only inning with a runner left on base for the Padres. Gilbert’s pitch count was 10.

The excitement was starting to build around the stadium. There were murmurs of something special happening although no one wanted to talk about a potential no-hitter for fear of jinxing it. I was starting to worry about pitch count. While Gilbert had been pretty judicious in how many pitches he had thrown, there were still two innings and after all this was his first start. The Padres helped tremendously. Austin Nola flies out to deep left field where Peralta catches the ball at the base of the wall maybe 18” from being a home run. Eric Hosmer grounds out to short for the second out. Wil Myers flies out to deep centerfield for the third out. Pitch count for the 8th inning was 3 pitches!

As the ninth inning started the crowd at Chase Field were on their feet. By now everyone knew what was happening and that there were only three outs away from a no-hitter. The fans were cheering from the moment that Gilbert stepped out of the dugout. So many no-hitters are broken up at the very end that I think we were all a little nervous.

Trent Grisham began the inning striking out on a called third strike. The crowd erupted in excitement. Only two outs remaining. Ha-Seong Kim came in as a pinch hitter and Gilbert struck him out to the delight of the fans. It was all coming down to this last hitter. Tommy Pham walked to the plate. He had been on-base every at bat tonight. Pham swung and hit the ball on the first pitch. It was a liner to center field that looked like it might drop but Ketel Marte made a running catch to secure the final out and the no-hitter. Pitch count for this inning was 10 for a total of 102 pitches.

The players went crazy rushing to the mound to celebrate. In a season where nothing has seemed to go right for this team, they definitely needed this. The scene at the mound was reminiscent of clinching a playoff game. The fans in the stands were just as excited. In a show of good sportsmanship the Padres fans were standing and cheering and almost as excited as those rooting for Arizona.

This was just the second no-hitter in Chase Field history. The first was also by a rookie. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jose Jimenez defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks and Randy Johnson 1-0 on June 25, 1999. I was at that game as well and it was just as memorable but this one felt a little better being on the winning end of the game.

The no-hitter by Tyler Gilbert is the third in Arizona Diamondbacks history. The first and most incredible was on May 18, 2004 when Randy Johnson threw a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves. The second no-hitter in Diamondbacks history was on June 25, 2010 against the Tampa Bay Rays. That no-hitter was the strangest as Jackson threw 149 pitches in the game and walked 8 batters.

It what can only be described as baseball irony, the first no-hitter by the Diamondbacks came during a season where they lost 111 games a franchise worst. This no hitter by Tyler Gilbert occurred during a season where the Diamondbacks are the worst team in baseball like they were in 2004. Jackson’s no-hitter had the only baserunners reaching via the walk. With Gilbert’s the only runners were again given a free pass.

Gilbert throwing a no-hitter in his first Major League start is the fourth time in baseball history that has occurred. The other three are: Teddy Breitenstein in 1891, Bumpus Jones in 1892, and Bobo Holloman in 1953. He is the first rookie to throw a no-hitter since Chris Heston in 2015.

The 2021 baseball season has now had eight no-hitters in the season. What is interesting is that the first no-hitter of the season was thrown by Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres who was the opposing pitcher when Tyler Gilbert threw his.

It was a magical and exiting night. Not just for Gilbert but for the whole team. While he was incredible on the mound, it was also amazing to see every position player go out of their way to keep the no-hitter intact. It is an experience I will never forget. History can be rare and elusive so being there to witness such a feat was incredible and something I will take with me the rest of my life. Like my grandfather did with me, I will recount this night and what it meant to my kids and grandkids hoping they too learn to appreciate how incredible baseball is.