Cubs announcer defends saying 'no-hitter' before Lester lost no-no
Chicago Cubs lefty Jon Lester took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night, eventually losing it on an infield single from Jhonny Peralta.
Some people are blaming Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, who could have thrown Peralta out if he fielded the hard-hit ball cleanly. Others have taken aim at Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper.
Kasper, the team’s television play-by-play announcer, mentioned in the sixth inning that Lester had a “no-hitter” going through six. Naturally, fans accused him of jinxing Lester. Kasper emphatically took to Twitter to defend himself.
Yes @DannyMacTV I said "Lester is no-hitting the Cardinals through 6." #scoops
— Len Kasper (@LenKasper) July 7, 2015
Kasper then retweeted:
@LenKasper Hell, I didn't realize he had one until seeing it on the TV after the 5th. Didn't notice Zambrano's 'til the 7th and I was THERE.
— Adam Pulver(@arpulver) July 7, 2015
Typically, the traditional, unofficial rule is you can’t say the phrase “no-hitter.” Most superstitious people won’t consider it a jinx if you say something like “Lester hasn’t allowed a hit” through six.
Kasper has a point about wanting people to tune in for higher ratings, but he should know that he’s going to get ripped if he uses the phrase “no-hitter” or something close to that. Didn’t he see what happened to ESPN’s Kaylee Hartung during the College World Series? That should tell you all you need to know.
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