SweetSpot

          Cole Hamels might have ended Phillies career in style

          It might have been the best worst catch to ever end a no-hitter. Cole Hamels, in what could be the final pitch he ever throws as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, threw his 129th pitch of the game, a 3-2 curveball that Kris Bryant hit to deep center field.

          "I hung that last one," Hamels said after the game.

          It looked like it might clear the ivy, but then Obudel Herrera slowed up at the warning track only to stumble on the soft sand that must have been dug out from Lake Michigan. Luckily for the official scorer, Herrera managed to make the catch as he lay prone on the dirt, the 27th out safely secured to lock up the 13th no-hitter in Phillies history and hand the Cubs their first no-hit job since Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965.

          Of course, it might be a bittersweet moment for Phillies fans, not just a shining light in the midst of the franchise's worst season in decades, but maybe Hamels' final game for them. Hamels has pitched through trade rumors for two seasons now, and his next start might come for the Cubs ... or the Los Angeles Dodgers ... or the Texas Rangers ... or some other team.

          The guy nicknamed "Hollywood" for his good luck and cool attitude on the mound became a hero in blue-collar Philly in 2008, when he led the team to a World Series title by going 4-0 in the postseason with a 1.80 ERA. He hadn't won any of his previous nine starts this season, going 0-4 with a 5.06 ERA in that span. After allowing 20 hits in just 6 1/3 innings over his past two starts, scouts had said Hamels looked "disinterested" on the mound, a bit of an insulting comment for a guy who has consistently pitched at a high level. Hamels took an extra day off before this start to work on mechanical issues. I guess that work paid off.

          In the final inning, he got Addison Russell to chop out softly to third for the first out and then struck out Dexter Fowler looking on a 96 mph fastball at the knees. Fowler turned to the ump to complain, but it was a strike, definitely too close to take and whine about.

          Against Bryant, Hamels got him to foul off a fastball to get ahead in the count and after a ball, Bryant foul-tipped a curveball to put the count 1-2. This is what makes Hamels so tough and why he froze Fowler with that fastball. He has two weapons he can use here: that great changeup and his big, slow curveball. He threw a curve that was outside and Bryant let it go. Hamels chunked a 2-2 changeup in the dirt. Full count. No-hitter on the line.

          Carlos Ruiz became just the second catcher to catch four no-hitters in his career. Hamels said after the game how he and Ruiz have "developed something special over the years." They were certainly in sync in this game, as Hamels finished with 13 strikeouts and two walks, giving him a Game Score of 98. That ties Roy Halladay (his perfect game against the Miami Marlins in 2010) and Steve Carlton (a 14-strikeout, one-walk one-hitter in 1972) as the best nine-inning Game Score in Phillies history.

          What next? The trade rumors will only intensify. If teams had concern because of two lousy starts, those concerns were alleviated with this performance. Hamels threw 96 mph on his 123rd pitch, after all. He has a 3.64 ERA pitching in front of a lousy defensive team with 137 strikeouts and 39 walks in 128 2/3 innings. He's going to make some team better down the stretch. He's won 114 regular-season games in his career, but I suspect No. 115 will come with another team.