Aug. 10 (UPI) -- It only took two starts for Michael Lorenzen to make a flawless impression for the Philadelphia Phillies, with the veteran pitcher issuing a no-hitter in his first home appearance since joining the team in a trade.
Lorenzen etched the 124-pitch effort into the MLB record book Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. He totaled 76 strikes, five strikeouts and four walks in the 7-0 triumph over the Washington Nationals.
"This is what I've worked for," Lorenzen told reporters. "This is a dream come true. ... That was the coolest moment of my baseball career."
Lorenzen's gem was the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history. The 31-year-old pitcher joined the team Aug. 1 in a trade from the Detroit Tigers. The performance dropped his season ERA from 3.48 to 3.23.
The Phillies took a 1-0 lead when first baseman Bryce Harper hit an RBI double in the bottom of the first. Outfielder Nick Castellanos hit a 413-foot, two-run homer in the next at-bat.
Lorenzen went on to issue his second walk of the game to lead off the second. He then retired the next eight hitters in order.
The Phillies pushed their lead to 4-0 when outfielder Weston Wilson hit a 429-foot solo homer in the bottom of the second. Castellanos added a 365-foot solo shot in the bottom of the third.
Outfielder Johan Rojas plated Wilson with an RBI single in the fourth for a 6-0 Phillies edge. Third baseman Alec Bohm brought in Wilson for the final run of the night with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.
Lorenzen retired 10 hitters in order to end the night. He forced a groundout from right fielder Lane Thomas to start the top of the ninth. He then struck out designated hitter Joey Meneses on three pitches.
Lorenzen recorded the final out of the no-hitter by forcing first baseman Dominic Smith to fly out to center field. Rojas easily caught the ball to secure the no-hitter.
Castellanos went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Designated hitter Trea Turner was the only other player in the game with multiple hits. He went 2 for 4 in the win. Wilson went 1 for 1 with three runs scored, two walks and an RBI.
Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore allowed seven hits and six runs over five innings to drop to 6-9 this season. Lorenzen is now 7-7 in 2023.
The Phillies (63-52) will host the Nationals (50-65) in the series finale at 6:40 p.m. EDT Thursday in Philadelphia.
