This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes.
There isn’t supposed to be any shame in a team getting absolutely torched by a pitcher in a no-hitter.
Typically, that just means the pitcher is that good on that night. There’s not really anything you can do about it. So, on that note, shoutout to Michael Lorenzen.
His no-hitter against the Nationals was an incredible moment for both him and his family. It’s only the 14th no-hitter in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies and, well, there’s a lot of history behind that team. It’s the first one for the team in nearly a decade since Cole Hamels tossed one back in 2015.
With the niceties out of the way, I can say what I really want to say now. Why do the Washington Nationals have to keep embarrassing me like this?
The better question is probably “Sykes, you’re a Nationals fan? Why on Earth would you do that to yourself?!?” That’s a valid response. I try to keep my Nats fandom on the hush because, well, *gestures at the dumpster fire*. But, yes, I am a Nationals fan.
This is my hometown team. And, while I’m not the biggest baseball nerd around, I feel like I should root for the squad and give my support. It’s a D.C. thing. If you know, you know.
If you don’t know, you’re blessed. Because, whew boy. Talk about being on the wrong side of history. It’s always cool to see those moments in sports where something nice happens for a player you weren’t necessarily rooting for. But when your team is on the other end of it? Man. It’s time to pull out the paper bags.
This is what happens when you completely blow up a championship team within three years after winning a title. You’re cursed now. There’s no turning back.
Now we’re here. The team had a 107-loss season last year. The Nats are the worst team in the NL East again and they’ve had multiple games where you look at the ticker on SportsCenter and say “Wow, I didn’t know football was back … Oh, wait. No. That’s the Nationals score.” In fact, they’re so bad the team also became the owners of a century-old record of not having a sweep in over 90 straight series at one point this season. The team finally got its first sweep since 2021 in late July, but still. The damage was done.
Now, you add Michael Lorenzen’s glorious no-hitter to that list of L’s for the Nats. To be clear, this isn’t on the players. It’s happening because of the organizational teardown that seems to have no end. The team isn’t willing to spend to keep talent and when the talent blossoms the team is just totally willing to let it leave. Just ask Bryce Harper and Juan Soto. It’s bad. Really bad.
That’s where this team is. And it’s probably where they’ll be for the next few years, too.
D.C. sports, man. You got to love it.
Quick Hits: Paul George says it’s ‘bully’ season … The White Sox can’t take criticism … and more
— Paul George told his Twitch audience that he’s in “bully” mode for next season. He’s got to play games for that to work out, though. Prince Grimes has more.
— The White Sox denied leaving Kenyan Middleton’s name off the scoreboard after he critiqued the team’s culture, but do we really believe them? Charles Curtis has more.
— Mary Clarke ranked the NHL’s logos from best to worst and you need to read this today — especially you, Red Wings fans.
— Myles Jack was going to go to trade school before the Eagles called, and that’s a pretty cool thing. Cory Woodruff has more.
