LA Angels Top Moments of the Decade #2: Jered Weaver No-Hits the Minnesota Twins

If you had asked me to write a series about the LA Angels top moments of the 2010’s a year ago, the Jered Weaver no-hitter would have been heads and shoulders above the rest as the one game that brought more joy than any.

However, that won’t be the LA Angels fans. The Jered Weaver no-no comes in at second on the list, and the top spot shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone when it comes out in a few days.

When Jered Weaver took the mound on May 2nd, 2012 it was just another start for him. Going up against the Minnesota Twins, there wasn’t really anything spectacular about that night.

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Until there was.

In the first two innings, Weaver had struck out four batters. He was looking crisp and decisive on the mound. One of those batters he struck out reached first base on a dropped third strike. That batter, along with a walk later in the game, were the only things separating Jered Weaver and a perfect game.

Every no-hitter or perfect game has that one play. Whether it be a diving stop at third base, a line drive that an outfielder juuuust gets under, or a home run robbery, every single no-hitter has a defensive play that is shown on ESPN later that night. For the first 26 outs, there wasn’t really that play. However, for the 27th and final out of the game, Torii freaking Hunter made an over the shoulder catch on the warning track that I still see every time I close my eyes.

My favorite part of watching this was the post game. Seeing Weaver legitimately in shock and awe of what he just did was a reminder of just how much he loved pitching for the Angels. On top of that, his parents being at the game and Weaver pointing up at them, and signing “I love you” in their direction as he walked off the field was heartwarming.

There is no other pitcher in my lifetime I’ve rooted for harder than Jered Weaver. The local boy, who had just taken a discounted deal to stay with the Angels, who had lost a game when he threw a no-hitter four years previous, who was the ace of the staff, finally sealing baseball history that night is the second best moment of the decade for the LA Angels, and it took something otherworldly to top it.