San Diego – Every story about Chris Young begins as a tall tale. He stands 6 feet, 10 inches. If he weren’t a pitcher, he’d be a foul pole.
On a cool Tuesday night, novelty gave way to stunning talent. By any measure, Young was brilliant, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning as the San Diego Padres muzzled the Rockies 2-0 at Petco Park.
“His height gives him a different angle,” said Rockies slugger Matt Holliday, his team 3 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona entering today’s final game of the road trip. “And he had command of all his pitches.”
The Rockies could stomach a loss, even if it wasted a solid effort by Aaron Cook. But they wanted no part of indignity. They already had one game worthy of The History Channel this week, playing a supporting role in Barry Bonds’ 715th home run. They didn’t need the Hall of Fame calling for more souvenirs at their expense.
“Nobody wants to be no-hit, ever,” manager Clint Hurdle admitted.
After the seventh inning, the improbable started to feel possible. The announced crowd of 23,698 began to buzz with excitement. Each out from the fifth inning on produced a larger roar. So when Young wandered out for the eighth, there was a sense that this cool summer evening at Petco Park was about to become an “I was there” event.
And just like that, it was over. With one swing, Brad Hawpe prevented Young from joining Al Leiter and Hideo Nomo, both in 1996, as the only pitchers to hold the Rockies hitless. The distinctiveness of Hawpe’s hit – a sharp double to right on a hanging curveball – went beyond its loneliness on the scoreboard. He and Young are good friends, and played together in high school summer ball for the Dallas Mustangs in 1997.
“If it was going to be anybody, I was glad it was him. I have known Brad for a long time. I am happy to see him doing so well,” said Young, also a former youth teammate of Rockies outfielder Choo Freeman’s. “Really, I could have given up 15 hits and it wouldn’t have mattered if we won.”
The long and the short of it is that Young was crisp, recording 79 strikes in 110 pitches. He doesn’t overpower people – his fastball sat around 91 mph – but he annoys them. While nearly every sinkerball pitcher works down in the strike zone, Young records outs up, baiting hitters into chasing high heat.
“That’s by design,” said Young, who had a chance to play in the NBA after a stellar career at Princeton but chose pro baseball instead. “I am trying to change their eye levels.”
Young’s work almost wasn’t enough. The Rockies were always within arm’s reach, thanks in large part to the Padres’ aggressive, if not careless, baserunning. Catcher JD Closser threw out two runners, all but ensuring he will remain on the roster in favor of Miguel Ojeda when Yorvit Torrealba returns Friday.
In the ninth, Trevor Hoffman was authorized to extinguish the Rockies’ last breaths and nearly gagged. With two out and two strikes, Matt Holliday sent a changeup high down the left-field line. Dave Roberts caught the ball at the wall just as it drifted into foul territory.
“I wish I could have that pitch back,” Holliday said. “But that’s why it’s tough. It gets you out front.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
