Pulling Conley was 'easy' decision, Mattingly says
Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said it was an "easy" decision to pull starter Adam Conley in the eighth inning of a no-hitter.
Conley, 25, made his 16th big-league start Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers, and after reaching the 116-pitch mark, his manager had no plans of jeopardizing the youngster's health for a shot at history, saying he wasn't going to finish the game, anyway.
"This kid has a chance to be special," Mattingly told reporters after the Marlins' 6-3 win. "No way we were going to let him throw 130 pitches this early in the season."
The move mirrors what Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did to rookie Ross Stripling in his major-league debut April 8. After throwing 100 pitches in 7 1/3 innings, Roberts opted to pull his 26-year old, later calling it a no-brainer.
Coming into this game, Conley had only ever exceeded 100 pitches in a major-league game once, throwing 106 pitches over six innings Aug. 23 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The only Brewers pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter was Juan Nieves, who did it against the Baltimore Orioles in 1987. Nieves is now the Marlins' pitching coach, and Mattingly said he didn't lobby to keep Conley in the game.
After exiting the game with a 5-0 lead in the eighth, his successors - Jose Urena and A.J. Ramos - nearly blew it. The Brewers got a rally going and managed to bring the winning run at the plate with the bases loaded and two out.
Ramos was able to strikeout Jonathan Villar to end the game and preserve the 6-3 victory.