Rookie’s No-Hit Bid Goes Up in Smoke After Fire Alarm Malfunctions

Austin Gomber was bringing the heat until a fire alarm in the seventh disrupted his routine.

CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 24:  Austin Gomber #68 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 24, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 24: Austin Gomber #68 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 24, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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For the second straight night, a St. Louis rookie had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning.

On Monday, right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon had his no-hit bid ended when interim manager Mike Shildt opted to have him not come out for the eighth because he’d thrown 116 pitches.

On Tuesday, Austin Gomber had his hitless game ruined in the seventh – by a fire alarm.

Before the start of the bottom of the seventh, sirens blared and lights flashed for over 7 minutes at Great American Ball Park because the fire alarm had malfunctioned.

When the Cardinals rookie returned to the mound to keep pitching following the delay, he was able to record one out before allowing a single to Joey Votto and a homer to Eugenio Suarez in the next at-bat. Those hits ended the 24-year-old’s evening, but the Cardinals went on to win 4-2.

“At first, I didn’t know what was going on,” Gomber said of the fire alarm. “I turned around and saw everything was flashing.”

Though neither of them threw a no-no, it seems the Cardinals have two rookie flamethrowers who should be setting off alarm bells, not fire alarms, for opposing hitters for years to come.

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