Josh Beckett’s first career no-hitter was the catalyst for the Dodgers right-hander being named NL Co-Player of the Week with St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright.
The award is for the week ending May 25.
During that week, Beckett was 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings. The highlight came Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies when the 34-year-old tossed the 21st no-hitter in Dodgers franchise history.
Updates: Download the NBCLA News App
Beckett is 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA this season. This is the second time he’s won the POTW award. The first was in 2009 as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
It takes quite the performances to match a guy who threw a no-hitter and Wainwright was virtually unhittable during the week. The Cardinals ace posted 17 straight scoreless innings in his two starts, winning both.
He nearly threw a no-hitter of his own May 20 against the Diamondbacks, but it was fouled by a fourth-inning double. He only faced 28 batters in that game and struck out nine in the one-hitter.
The right-hander followed that outing by throwing eight innings of shutout ball, scattering five hits and striking out nine to pick up his league leading eighth win of the season.
Wainwright also leads the NL with a 1.67 ERA. The POTW award is the first of his career.
