Cleveland's Pérez unaware Carlos Rodón had perfect game originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Carlos Rodón was nearly perfect Wednesday night.
There's no such thing as an almost perfect game, however.
The 20th no-hitter in White Sox history was a great accomplishment for Rodón, especially after what he's been through in his career. But fans were left wondering what could have been after Rodón lost his bid for a perfect game with one out in the ninth inning.
Rodón's perfecto attempt ended when he hit Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Pérez with a pitch on the foot. Fans were upset that Pérez, with his team trailing 8-0, didn't try to get out of the way of Rodón's 1-2 slider that sent him to first base.
According to Pérez, though, he didn't even know what the situation was. As every son, daughter, friend and neighbor on the South Side had been called and was locked into perhaps the first perfect game since 2012, Pérez missed the part where Rodón set down the first 25 batters he faced in order.
Rodón wasn't too upset about it, basking in the aftermath of his no-no, and didn't blame Pérez one bit during his postgame media session.
"I've played against Pérez for quite a while now," Rodón said. "It was a 1-2 count, and I wanted slider and obviously got it. It was just one of those where you think back foot, but obviously you don't want to put it on his back foot.
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"He did the right thing. He stayed in there. He said, 'I'm going to let it hit me, you ain't getting a perfect game.' I would do the same thing if I was hitting. You've got to earn it."
White Sox catcher Zack Collins theorized that Pérez didn't recognize the pitch until it was too late. Turns out, Pérez didn't recognize the situation.
But judging by the exuberance, Rodón was perfectly content with the no-no, even if he was jokingly frustrated when talking to pitching coach Ethan Katz after the game.
"I hugged Katz, and I go, 'Toe ball,'" Rodón relayed. "I knew in that count, that 1-2 count, I wanted to throw that same slider I think I threw to someone I struck out before, to swing over.
"I was like, 'You've got to start it above his right knee or above his right shoulder.' And I was like, 'All right, here we go,' and I threw it and it just took off like one of those snakes. And I thought, 'Oh, there goes the toe ball.' And you hear that clunk, and I was like, 'Motherf----r.'
"What you can do is laugh about it. It wasn't meant to be."
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