Three Latinos who were one out from no hit

When the legendary Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over ’till it’s over,” he wasn’t specifically talking about no-hitters, but they do seem to go hand in hand.

For a pitcher to complete a no-hitter, the job isn’t done until the last out is out, and every batter represents a dangerous obstacle on that path to history.

Over the years, many pitchers have experienced the agony of losing a two-out no-hitter in the final inning, including Miles Mikolaswho lived that scenario on Tuesday.

Here, three Latin American pitchers who have suffered that experience.

Carlos Carrasco, July 1, 2015, Indians vs. Rays
First hit: Joey Butler

Carrasco was the victim of a double disappointment at the hands of Butler that night. First, the Venezuelan lost the perfect game by walking Butler in the seventh inning, before giving up a two-out, two-strike hit in the ninth.

It wasn’t the only challenge Carrasco had to face in the ninth. Before Butler’s turn, he had walked and hit a ball.

Yusmeiro Petit, Sept. 6, Giants at D-Backs (perfect game)
First hit: Eric Chavez

Petit was promoted in August to replace an injured Matt Cain in the Giants’ rotation. Then he came within inches of perfection in his third start, a year after Cain himself completed the feat in June 2012.

The Venezuelan was masterful on the hill until Chavez came to the plate. After five pitches, including a 2-2 curveball that came close to being called a strike and caused AT&T Park to celebrate, the veteran infielder singled to right field, out of Hunter Pence’s reach. Petit got the last out to complete his first career shutout, but he came very close to history.

Armando Galarraga, June 2, 2010, Detroit vs. Cleveland (perfect game)
First hit: Jason Donald

It is perhaps the most controversial decree in regular season history. The Venezuelan lost the perfect game due to an error by umpire Jim Joyce, who saw Donald beat the shot made by fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera towards first.

The play came shortly after center fielder Austin Jackson made an impressive catch to preserve the immaculate opening. It would have been the first perfect game in Tigers history, but instead it became one of the clearest examples of replay implementation in professional baseball.