Oakland Athletics: Sean Manaea’s no-hitter is more impressive than you think

Sean Manaea’s no-hitter for the Oakland Athletics is much more impressive than you might think.

Sean Manaea went “Larry Legend” last night for the Oakland Athletics, no-hitting the red-hot Boston Red Sox and outdueling ace Chris Sale — boasting the first no-hitter of the 2018 MLB season. Bartolo Colon came within six outs of a perfect game last Sunday, while Tyson Ross went deeper into the game — four outs away from a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres earlier this week.

The “Larry Legend” designation is fitting, with Sean Manaea an Indiana State University alum, as Larry “Legend,” with this moment the most notable accomplishment in professional sports for an Indiana State alum, or it seems — since Larry Bird donned his 33-jersey for the Boston Celtics.

Evidently, Sean Manaea was so dialed in on the mound; he had no clue his no-no was intact as late as the 8th inning, revealing such truth to USA Today following his epic performance.

"“I didn’t even think about it until I looked up in the seventh or eighth. and I was like, ‘Oh my God, why is there still a zero on there?’”"

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Coming into last nights game, the Boston Red Sox held the second longest streak of not being no-hit, and ironically, the Oakland Athletics now maintain the current streak in that area.

What makes Sean Manaea’s feat even more impressive is the Red Sox are the best team by winning percentage (at least five games played) to be no-hit.

During his college tenure playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, Sean Manaea wasn’t even the most prominent or promising prospect in the conference, with the likes of Missouri State University, Wichita State, and Dallas Baptist and Illinois State’s Paul DeJong — who is now the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Until his senior season, that is, where he boasted a microscopic ERA of 1.47 and WHIP of 1.04 — earning a first-round draft selection by the Kansas City Royals.

Now, I know you Royals fans are livid for trading away this rising star, but without that trade where you acquired Ben Zobrist, you would not be flying that 2015 World Series banner at Kauffman Stadium.

Sean Manaea’s no-hitter is more impressive than you might think, not only doing so against the best team in MLB but rising from the depths of the unknown to the baseball mountaintop. He is also more than a flash in the pan, with his 2017 campaign impressive (12-10 with a 4.37 ERA) for a team with not much to brag about.

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Outside of the no-hitter, Sean Manaea has been stellar in 2018, with an ERA below 2.00 and a 3-2 record — with a team lacking fire-power. Expect him the be one of the bright spots for the Oakland Athletics in a season full mediocrity.

Oakland Athletics fans need to relish and savor this moment, you’ve earned it after a rough patch of late — and that is likely to continue.