Yes It’s True: My 1 objection to that combined no-hitter

“Greg Landry threw that pass like a Virgil Trucks fastball.” — Ye Olde Announcer Van Patrick calling a Detroit Lions game

I had to laugh when reading a posting on Facebook today that asked what was common when you were a youngster, but no longer exists today.

I could have answered “complete games by pitchers” and would have been close to having the correct response. I would have been inspired by the events in Toronto Saturday afternoon when three Detroit Tiger pitchers combined on a no-hit performance in a 2-0 victory.

Though it’s not entirely true, the accomplishment called attention once again to the modern Major League approach to starting pitchers, in which few of them throw complete nine-inning games any more.

Though Tigers’ starter Matt Manning yielded no hits in six and two-thirds of an inning, he was pulled by manager A.J. Hinch, giving way to reliever Jason Foley, who retired the only batter he faced in the inning and three hitters in the eighth.

Then came Alex Lange to close out the feat in the ninth.

I was told this was the 20th instance of a combined no-hitter in baseball history. That’s 12 fewer than the number of perfect games, in which none of the opposing team’s batters even reach first base safely.

I suspect we are going to see more of these kinds of no-hitters in the future because of the newfangled conventional wisdom about pitch counts, making certain the starting pitcher isn’t overworked.

It was only the ninth no-hitter by a Tigers pitcher ever and the first time Detroit had a combined gem. Heck, Virgil Trucks threw two solo no-nos in 1952, a season in which he won only five games total against 19 losses.

Of course, this flies in the face of managing wisdom of bygone days that insisted pitchers who are sailing along with a quality outing remain on the mound until he shows signs of losing his touch or getting weary.

I was a solid believer in former Detroit Tigers manager Mayo Smith’s “hot hand” theory that he used with such great success in 1968 when the Tigers won the World Series. Mickey Lolich was hot in the post-season and Smith brought him back with only a couple of days rest to pitch the seventh and final game, in which he defeated the almost unhittable Bob Gibson. In game six Smith brought back Dennis McLain, who had pitched only a couple of innings in game four because he was getting clobbered.

I grew up watching and admiring hurlers who seemed to get better as they found their rhythm late in the game and cruised to victory.

One really good example was mentioned on Facebook Friday, recalling a 16-inning scoreless duel between Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal. The latter was the winning pitcher when Willie Mays clouted a solo homer in the 16th.

But it was an astonishing duel between two Hall of Fame pitchers, and Spahn that day was 42 years old.

By contrast, I remember the 2009 single game playoff between the Tigers and Twins, who battled to a 3-3 tie at the end of the regulation nine innings. By that time Detroit manager Jim Leyland had painted himself into a corner, using up all of his pitchers except closer Fernando Rodney, who was left out on the mound to finally lose in the 12th inning.

If you can’t tell by now, I am old school in that I continue to insist that you stick with a pitcher who is humming along until you think he’s lost his good stuff.

I suppose I should come to the understanding that baseball wisdom has passed me by, so I should just zip it and let the modern experts call the shots.

I also suppose this is one of the few times I can be accused of clinging to the old ways, insisting they are better than what I’m seeing now. On this issue, I am a proud conservative.