I can tell you this from experience! I was a pitcher in all kinds of leagues growing up, and quite a few all-star teams. My coaches back then attributed my velocity and accuracy were because of all my practice tossing snowballs at cars! Same for football as QB.

Imagine, the pressure growing and growing and growing, as you keep hitting the mound, setting them up and putting them down, inning after inning. You're now in the 5th inning, and when you sit on the bench, no one will go near you, disturb you.

It's about that inning when you realize you're in the midst of tossing a no no, a no hit ballgame! The pinnacle for any baseball pitcher of any age in any league. Of course, at the MLB level is the highest pinnacle and you enter the books if you do so!

The innings go on, and your and teammates separation grows, and the outs pile up.

You reach the 9th. Its difficult at that point. Full of energy from being anxious and nervous. But you can barely feel your own skin, going numb from nerves. 3 outs to go and you're part of history.

And then you give up a hit in the 9th inning.

I don't care if its a one hitter and a shutout, its a monster sized disappointment, and you feel shamed with one of your best games ever. One of the saddest and hardest things to deal with. I lost one in the 8th at HS level and was devastated, and was not near any pro level. Feel bad for this guy!


Mariners’ Leake lose perfect game try in 9th, blanks Angels

SEATTLE (AP) — A week after the worst start of his career, Mike Leake came back with his best.

Shockingly so.

Leake took a perfect game into the ninth inning, losing his bid at baseball immortality when rookie Luis Rengifo hit a leadoff single as the Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-0 Friday night.

“It was fun,” Leake said. “As you get closer, you get the shakes and you have to calm yourself down. Other than that, it’s just a matter of making pitches.”

There were hugs all around the clubhouse after Leake finished off a one-hitter and stopped Seattle’s six-game losing streak.

It was an amazing turnaround from his previous outing — the Angels tagged him for seven runs on eight hits in a walk last Friday while he got just two outs, the only time he’s been pulled from a start without getting through the first inning. Seattle lost that game 13-0 as two Angels pitchers combined for a no-hitter on a day their club wore the jerseys of late teammate Tyler Skaggs.

Rest - https://apnews.com/ebf4a8a7afe44a189d80cb9fc1603124