On August 31, 2008, CC Sabathia, then of the Milwaukee Brewers, just missed pitching a no-hitter in a 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The only hit came in the fifth inning when Andy LaRoche hit a soft grounder back toward the mound. Sabathia tried to pick it up bare-handed but dropped it. The official scorer ruled it a hit because he said the runner would have beaten the throw to first even had Sabathia fielded it cleanly.
The Brewers players and fans were irate about the call because an error call might have preserved Sabathia's no-hitter...until the next day when Sabathia put an end to the controversy: "It's time for everyone to chill. There's a pennant to be won."
CC Sabathia, Cy Young Award winner and one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues, made the game of baseball better by defusing a volatile situation and calming his own fans down.
