Magic Happens on the Mound

This offseason we are looking at the top Wahoo Wonders in Blue Wahoos history as we head into our fifth season. Two months into their first season, the Blue Wahoos had magic happen on the mound. They celebrated a no-hitter. Find more Wahoo Wonders here. 

Two months into their first season, the Blue Wahoos had magic happen on the mound.

They celebrated a no-hitter.

 

On a Saturday night (June 16, 2012), complete with a sellout crowd and building emotion in the final innings, Blue Wahoos pitcher Daniel Corcino and reliever Wilken De La Rosa combined on a no-hitter in a 6-0 victory against the Mobile BayBears.

It remains the lone no-hitter in Blue Wahoos history.

This one filled the ballpark with rare suspense.

From the seventh inning, there was palpable murmur. You could feel it, see it on the concourse and the seats.

More and more people realized what was happening. Each out cheered louder. Each strike met with approval. Each batter creating more attention.

When Corcino was lifted, he was standing in the on-deck circle with a batting helmet. He wanted to stay on.

So did the fans, a few of whom booed when Corcino did not head to the mound in the ninth.

But that disappointment quickly was trumped when De La Rosa finished it off. He struck out the final two batters and hurled his glove high into the sky and teammates tackled him.

"In the eighth inning maybe if he had a four-pitch inning, we would have left him in there," said Blue Wahoos manager Jim Riggleman that night, following the game "The fans here have been so great that I didn't hear too much response.

"I know they would have certainly liked for us to keep him in there, but they appreciated his performance.

"There are some venues where if you made that decision (to pull a pitcher with a no-hitter), you would have to leave the stadium with security."

Riggleman did not wrestle with his decision. Corcino had thrown 110 pitches. He had reached his limit. This is Double-A not the major leagues and pitchers have pitch counts for a reason.

"It's the guidelines," said Riggleman that night, who has managed four major league teams. "Maybe if anything, I should have taken him out after seven (innings). But we were not going to let him go past 110 (pitches)."

There were also two ironic elements to this combined no-hitter. It occurred exactly one year from the day a year earlier when Mobile was no-hit by the Montgomery Biscuits' Matt Moore, who became a starter with the Tampa Bay Rays.

And the Mobile starting pitcher who opposed Corcino that night was David Holmberg, who was later traded to the Reds organization and has pitched in fill-in roles the last two seasons in the major leagues.

"It's incredible," said Corcino that night. "It's my first time to throw eight innings (of no-hit ball), but I know I can keep going and maybe next time, you know, I can finish."

But the way it did finish remains a special moment.