Nationals' Scherzer no-hits Pittsburgh; One out from perfect game

An intense Max Scherzer bounced off the rubber after every strike over the last few innings, emphatically snatching the ball back from Wilson Ramos.

It was quite an encore.

It was nearly perfect.

Scherzer followed a 16-strikeout, one-hit shutout with a no-hitter on Saturday afternoon as the Washington Nationals blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 in the second of a three-game set.

Scherzer (8-5) was an out away from a perfect game, but hit Jose Tabata on the elbow with a pitch with two outs in the ninth. The fireballer then induced a game-ending flyout to left off the bat of Josh Harrison to complete the fifth no-hitter in the history of the franchise. It's the second one since the team relocated to Washington.

[SportsNetwork.com]