Nationals ace Max Scherzer pitched his second no-hitter of the season Saturday night with a dominant 17-strikeout performance that saw him out-hit the Mets all by himself (he went 1 for 3) in the 2–0 win.
Even though the incredible performance by Scherzer (14–12, 2.79 ERA) won’t get him into the NL’s exclusive three-man Cy Young race this season, it puts him into exclusive company in becoming just the sixth pitcher ever to hurl a pair of no-hitters in a single season.
How does this rare feat equate to great achievements in other sports?
NFL
Maybe the most popular measuring stick in the NFL is the 2,000-yard rushing mark.
Until 1973, when O.J. Simpson broke through the magical barrier, no one had ever done it. Now seven NFL players are members of this exclusive club, the latest being Adrian Peterson with his 2,097-yard season in 2012. Still O.J. is the only one who did it in the 14-game format.
On an individual game basis, the 200-yard rushing mark has been achieved 128 times, with Adrian Peterson’s 296-yard game sitting at the top of the list. Twice Peterson has had a pair of 200-yard games in the same season—he’s one of 20 players to accomplish the feat.
