Yu Darvish falls one out shy of no-hitter as Rangers blank Red Sox

Yu Darvish is pumped after recording the final out in the eighth inning. Darvish went 8 2/3 hitless before David Ortiz singled to break up the no-hit bid. (Larry Smith/European PressPhoto Agency)

The Boston Red Sox were no match for Yu Darvish, who came one out away from throwing the first Texas Rangers’ no-hitter since 1994.

Darvish struck out 12, taking a perfect game into the eighth inning before an error with two outs ended his streak of 23 straight batters retired. The error, committed by Alex Rios on a fly ball hit by David Ortiz, became the center of controversy in the Rangers’ 8-0 victory. Ortiz's fly ball fell between second baseman Rougned Odor and the right fielder Rios on a play in which one of them should have easily made the catch.

The official scorer for the game charged Rios with an error, rather than rewarding Ortiz with a hit, as Darvish remained on pace for a no-no. Steve Weller, the official scorer, justified his decision from Friday’s contest, noting how this situation was discussed in a meeting among scorers with the Elias Sports Bureau.

“We talked about plays like this and the consensus — there were some that argued it but it was a consensus — that if a ball goes in the air and two or more players convene on the ball and under normal effort you feel like any one of them could’ve caught the ball, you’re almost obligated to award an error,” Weller said, via The Boston Globe. “And that’s what I felt happened here.”

Based upon MLB’s Rule 10.12, it appears Weller made the correct call. The rule (provided below by sbnation.com) states:

(a) The official scorer shall charge an error against any fielder:

(1) whose misplay (fumble, muff or wild throw) prolongs the time at bat of a batter, prolongs the presence on the bases of a runner or permits a runner to advance one or more bases, unless, in the judgment of the official scorer, such fielder deliberately permits a foul fly to fall safe with a runner on third base before two are out in order that the runner on third shall not score after the catch;

It is not necessary that the fielder touch the ball to be charged with an error. If a ground ball goes through a fielder's legs or a fly ball falls untouched and, in the scorer's judgment, the fielder could have handled the ball with ordinary effort, the official scorer shall charge such fielder with an error.

The official scorer shall charge an outfielder with an error if such outfielder allows a fly ball to drop to the ground if, in the official scorers judgment, an outfielder at that position making ordinary effort would have caught such fly ball.

Low and behold, Ortiz ended up breaking up Darvish’s no hit-bid in the top of the ninth with a single to right field that evaded the shift designed to counter the designated hitter.

The 27-year-old Darvish fell one out shy of a no-hitter for the second time in his career. Last August, the Japanese ace threw 8 2/3 innings of no-hit ball against the Houston Astros, before Marwin Gonzalez hit a single up the middle that went right through the legs of Darvish.  

After another masterful pitching performance, Darvish lowered his ERA to 2.33 and recorded the win, improving his 2014 season record to 3-1