WATCH: Phillies raise toasts in the locker room after Michael Lorenzen's no-hitter
At the trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies added Michael Lorenzen to their starting lineup in an effort to improve their chances of making the postseason. He more than delivered, hurling a no-hitter in a 7-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, in only his second start with the franchise.
Phillies raised toasts in the locker room after Lorenzen's no-hitter and he was extremely happy with the gesture and thanked everyone for being so welcoming.
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In the ninth inning, Lorenzen retired Lane Thomas on a grounder and got Joey Meneses looking. The 30,406 spectators cheered after Lorenzen ended his first career full game in 2 hours and 9 minutes by retiring Dominic Smith on a flyball with his career-high 124th pitch.
“Just walking out of the dugout, hearing the fans go wild, it gave me the chills,” Lorenzen said. “It gave that boost of energy that I needed, for sure.”
After flipping his cap backward, Lorenzen was surrounded by his teammates as they celebrated raucously close to the plate.
Michael Lorenzen is important to Phillies
Lorenzen shown that he can be an important part of taking the Phillies back to the postseason. In order to strengthen their rotation as they competed with the San Francisco Giants for the top wild-card berth in the National League, the Phillies acquired the right-hander.
When Lorenzen reached a certain point in the game, it was uncertain if manager Rob Thomson would allow him to finish. However, he retained the ball and, on July 25, 2015, against the Cubs, became the first Phillies pitcher since Cole Hamels to throw a no-hitter. Hamels stepped down last week.
Right-hander Lorenzen, who was in his debut season there in Detroit, was traded to Philadelphia earlier this month. He was required to represent the Tigers in the All-Star Game last month in Seattle, when he made his first career All-Star appearance and tossed two-thirds of an inning in relief.