Father and son share unforgettable memory at Michael Lorenzen's no-hitter
PHILADELPHIA - A father and son who were at Michael Lorenzen's no-hitter Wednesday night believe they were part of the magic that captivated tens of thousands watching at the ballpark and at home.
Hours before Lorenzen got Nationals first basemen Dominic Smith to flyout to centerfield for the final out of his no-hitter, Tony Repic and his young son Shane cheered on the right-hander as he warmed up in the bullpen.
"He was doing some of his warm-ups and finished his long toss and [Shane] yelled down to him ‘how many strikeouts you going to have tonight, Michael?’ and he looked up to him and threw him the ball!"
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No-no!: Phillies right-hander Michael Lorenzen tosses no-hitter against Nationals
Michael Lorenzen threw the 14th no-hitter in Philadelphia Phillies history, a dazzling performance in only his second start with his new team, which beat the Washington Nationals 7-0 on Wednesday night.
Awestruck, Chase stuffed the baseball into his pocket and that's right where it stayed as Lorenzen held the Nationals hitless into the 6th inning. That's when Shane realized that something special was unfolding on the field, and he didn't want to break the magic.
"I didn't want to take [the baseball] out, because I thought it was going to bring bad luck, so I just kept it in my pocket and said ‘I’m not bringing the ball out!'," Shane said.
He believes the superstition helped Lorenzen put the finishing touches on the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history and just the second Phillies' no-no at Citizens Bank Park.
The exciting father-son moment was made even more special because Tony had spent time away from his family while serving as a military Chaplin.
"To connect with him in that kind of way, in the magnitude of a game, that will be an experience that we'll never ever forget as father and son," Tony said.