Talso Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen almost made history Sunday afternoon when he played a perfect game through almost all nine innings.
WATCH: PITCHER TAKES TEAM TO LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES AFTER INCREDIBLE NO-HITTER
The Rays pitcher didn’t allow a baserunner for the first eight innings while facing off against the Baltimore Orioles. Should he have kept the team off the board for the entire game, Rasmussen would have completed the 24th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. His winning streak came to an end at the top of the ninth inning, when Jorge Mateo hit a double.
The Tampa-based team still won the game despite Rasmussen not making history, beating the Orioles 4-1.
The right-handed pitcher received a pair of standing ovations from the more than 18,000 fans at Tropicana Field, and he waved to the crowds as he made his way off the field after completing his 20th start of the season.
Rasmussen delivered three no-hit innings in his previous start on Aug. 7 against the Detroit Tigers, which was an abbreviated outing to manage his workload for the season. His longest career start had been seven innings, which occurred in June against the Chicago White Sox.
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There has not been a perfect game in the majors since the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez accomplished the feat at home against the Rays on August 15, 2012. Monday will mark 10 years to the day since that history-making performance.
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