Line of the Day: May 3rd, 2011

SP Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins pitched the majors first no-hitter of the season, a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He walked six, struck out two and needed 123 pitches (66 strikes) to pitch the first complete game of his career and the fifth no-hitter in the history of the Minnesota Twins franchise.

Line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 2 K; W, QS, CG, SHO, No-Hitter

My fantasy perspective: Liriano had been less than stellar in his five previous starts (18:18 K:BB ratio), allowing 27 hits and 24 earned runs in 23.2 innings pitched with a 1-4 record, 9.13 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP. Ouch! His ownership numbers were down to 68.4% (-27.2%) in ESPN leagues. How do you think those owners feel about dumping him prior to a no-hitter?

This is the kind of outing Liriano needed to get some confidence back and keep his spot in the Twins' rotation (Kevin Slowey is lurking) but is 123 pitches too many for a young, struggling pitcher several years removed from Tommy John surgery? I'm glad he got his piece of history but also hope it wasn't at his own expense.

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