There have been 296 no-hitters in major league history and 23 perfect games. Every single one of those events marks a special moment in baseball's annals. Yet Rich Hill's one-hitter on Wednesday might be as singular as all of those games; perhaps it will even immortalize him in a way a mere no-hitter couldn't have.
If an enterprising screenwriter were to craft a "Rudy" inspired tale of Hill's baseball journey, the last out of a perfect game would have been the climax, with the denouement simply being a freeze-shot of Hill being mobbed by Austin Barnes and Adrian Gonzalez, or perhaps with Yasiel Puig planting a kiss on his cheek.
But alas, that Hollywood ending was spoiled by Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison lofting a leadoff home run in the 10th, the first walk-off homer in baseball history to break up a no-hitter. It was a heartbreaking loss for Hill, even if he wants to act all casual about it.
You don't get much more subjective than trying to assess heartbreak. The very nature of sports is that heartbreak to one person is ecstasy to another. It's zero sum, with a winner and a loser. It felt like a crushing moment to me when Harrison's ball cleared the left-field wall at PNC Park, just beyond the reach of Dodgers left fielder Curtis Granderson. I'm not a fan of either team, but I'm a fan of Hill -- one of baseball's nicest people and a walking testament to the concept of perseverance.
