I tuned into game one of the Tigers-Red Sox series out of curiosity in the fifth inning. I'm not positive, but I think the announcers mentioned "no-hitter" about 4,658 times.

Anibal Sanchez was dominant. The only thing Red Sox hitters could do against Sanchez was draw six walks in six innings. Sanchez struck out twelve but was forced to leave after 116 pitches (after 116, there's a decent chance he would've lost the no-hitter anyway) so three relievers could continue the combined no hitter: Al Alburquerque, Jose Veras, and Drew Smyly.

Enter Joaquin Benoit. Nobody cared about the 1-0 lead that much anymore. The announcers used the opportunity to show video of despairing Sox fans and use the term "no-hitter" about 6,572 more times.

The pitch that ended the no-hitter was a 1-2 to Daniel Nava. A high fastball at 95 mph that Nava easily slapped into center.

I remember watching, thinking: Is this really going to happen? A no-hitter? I'd missed Roy Halladay years earlier. Then, I'd scold myself for thinking about it, then I'd realize it didn't matter with these announcers anyway.

I didn't get a no hitter. But I'm still glad I finished watching.

Let's set the scene for another pro/con sabermetrics debate. You're the manager for a team, and let's say your team is up by one in the eighth. No outs, setup man pitching. A double is allowed. Things are getting tricky. A man with a career 1.39 ERA just happens to be ready to pitch. What do you do? If you're Fredi Gonzalez, nothing.

A defense of Fredi Gonzalez: most of MLB's managers, respected or otherwise (and Gonzalez has certainly earned some respect in his Braves managing tenure) would have done the same thing: keep in the man with the respectable career 3.65 ERA (David Carpenter) rather than the man with the dominant career 1.39 ERA (Craig Kimbrel).

However, by about any metric, Kimbrel is the best Braves reliever, and this would probably be the most important six outs of the game.

So why Carpenter, not Kimbrel?

The point of the closer is that the closer is the best reliever, so put them in the "important" ninth inning.

In this scenario, which happens to currently be the only scenario (even the sabermetric A's have Grant Balfour in almost every save situation. Then again, they probably know plenty of Grant Balfour Tidbits that I don't), a manager will gladly sit his closer with the bases loaded, no outs, Miguel Cabrera up, and the score 4-3...so the closer, barring the setup man induces a triple play, can come in with the bases empty.

Something about this makes no sense at all.