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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Four Phillies get together on no-hitter

Hamels gets help from his friends in 7-0 no-no

Associated Press

ATLANTA – On Labor Day, Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia bullpen spread the workload on a no-hitter.

Hamels and three Phillies relievers combined on the season’s fourth no-hitter, blanking the Atlanta Braves 7-0 Monday and giving a last-place team a rare reason to celebrate.

It was all the more unusual in that Hamels left the game with his bid intact after six innings. He was fine with the decision, too, having already thrown 108 pitches on a hot afternoon at Turner Field.

Hamels (8-6) struck out seven, matched a season high with five walks and hit a batter.

Relievers Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a perfect inning to close out the 11th combined no-hitter in big league history.

Clayton Kershaw and Josh Beckett of the Dodgers and Tim Lincecum of the Giants threw no-hitters earlier this year.