No run-of-the-Mills day: Cubs' hurler throws no-hitter
Three outs from throwing the 16th no-hitter in Cubs history, Alec Mills' nerves started getting the best of him at Miller Park on Sunday.
Heart racing, the 28-year-old right-hander left the bench and retreated to the locker room trying to catch his breath.
Moments later, he then took the breath away from everyone who was watching by putting the finishing touches on an absolute masterpiece.
"I don't really know what to say," Mills said after the 12-0 victory. "It's kind of hitting me now. Just very overwhelming.
"Obviously a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I'll always remember it and look back and be thankful."
Mills, who walked three, struck out five and threw 114 pitches, realized he hadn't allowed any hits after getting Avisail Garcia to ground out to end the sixth inning.
The nerves started hitting after the seventh, and by the time the eighth was over, he needed a little quiet time by himself.
"Kind of had to take a seat and calm myself down," Mills said. "Told several guys it was tough. I had to take a lot of deep breaths and calm myself down and get into a good mindset to go out and attack."
Which is exactly what he did in the ninth, getting the light-hitting Jacob Nottingham to pop out to first and striking out pinch-hitter Tyrone Taylor.
With history on the line, Mills fell behind Jace Peterson 3-0, threw a strike and then induced Peterson to hit a grounder up the middle ... right to Javier Baez.
Baez scooped it up, threw and let out a howl as the ball was headed to first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
A second later, Mills was mobbed on the mound.
"This is something that we're going to be a part of for life," said Baez, who was 1-for-5 and scored a pair of runs. "It's like a championship kind of thing. No one can take it away from you."
Said manager David Ross: "I go back to the family dynamic a lot. When you see a young man going out there and proving himself and having that kind of success, you just feel really good that they're in a good space.
"Happy for them, their family. I know how much goes with that. That's history. And when you get to make history, that's a special day."
Mills joins Carlos Zambrano (2008) and Jake Arrieta (2015, 2016) as the only Cubs pitchers to throw no-hitters this century - and he did it in just the 28th appearance and 15th start of his major-league career.
Mills entered the game with a 4.74 ERA, having struggled in 5 straight starts from mid-August to early September. Then something clicked against the Reds on September 8, with Mills allowing 4 hits and 3 walks in 6 shutout innings.
"I fixed some things a couple starts ago and I'm really feeling good and starting to the rewards lately," said Mills, who improved to 5-3 and saw his ERA drop to 3.93. "So I'll take it."
Mills has overcome myriad obstacles over the years to get to this point. He's the ultimate underdog - a walk-on at the University of Tennessee-Martin who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2013 and persevered through some tough times in the minors.
Now - against all odds - he's helping the Cubs' push toward a division title.
Asked what kind of advice he'd give to kids who might be dealing with tough times or doubting their abilities, Mills said: "Never give up. That's the biggest thing. Some people are gonna tell you you can't do it or you're not good enough. But that's just one person. ...
"Never let people tell you what you can and can't do. Just keep persevering and be the best person you can be."