ATLANTA–Sean Newcomb did everything right to secure the first no-hitter of his major-league career.
For 8 2/3 innings on Sunday, the rookie southpaw had been in complete control of the Dodgers' lineup, surrendering just one walk, no hits and no runs.
That dominance carried over to the final batter in the ninth inning, Chris Taylor.
After working a 2-2 count, amid a cacophony of Atlanta Braves zealots shouting with gleeful anticipation at SunTrust Park, Newcomb (eight strikeouts) got Taylor to commit to an off-speed pitch that blooped in foul territory.
Could this be it?
Could this be a red-letter day in Braves history ... outside of Chipper Jones' induction into the Hall of Fame?
For a brief second, Newcomb (134 pitches, 81 strikes) had busted the Braves' 24-year drought with no-hitters, joining the likes of Kent Mercker, Phil Niekro and Warren Spahn, among others, on the short list of franchise no-nos.
As Taylor's ball floated harmlessly in foul ground, the tag team of first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Nick Markakis momentarily had a beat on the history-maker. In fact, Markakis might have been one or two steps away from attempting a circus catch ... if the ball hadn't gone into the stands.
It was a minor setback for Newcomb, factoring in how the no-hitter was still intact. On the flip side, it was also an ominous preview of things to come, as Taylor walloped the next pitch into left field, with the line-drive single escaping the reach of Braves third baseman Johan Camargo.
As such, Newcomb (no-hitter at the University of Hartford back in the day) simply must settle for posting the greatest single outing of his MLB career, even if it ended in momentary agony.
Team-wise, the Braves (55-47) absolutely needed this 4-1 victory over the Dodgers (59-47):
**It prevented the club's first losing slide of five games or more.
**Along those lines, the win precluded Atlanta from experiencing its first four-game home sweep in three years (September 2015 vs. the Mets).
**Sunday's triumph, coupled with the Phillies' loss (and inexplicable sweep to Cincinnati), shrunk the Braves' deficit in the National League East to a manageable 1 1/2 games.
**Atlanta still wouldn't own a wild-card slot, if the NL postseason began today.
However, this might only be a fleeting concern, since the Braves have 11 consecutive divisional games on the immediate docket, taking on the Marlins (home), Mets (road) and Nationals (road) over 11 days.
**Newcomb's gem also erased the salty feelings of a highly questionable call, long before the no-no hype became palpable.
In the 4th, with one out and a Braves runner on third base (Ender Inciarte), Newcomb was called out for 'batter's interference' after his bunt attempt went foul.
On the play, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had no chance of securing the pop-up; but on his way to the chase, Grandal ran squarely into Newcomb, who was harmlessly standing in the batter's box.
That didn't stop the umpires from siding with Grandal.
It was one of the Dodgers' few victories on the day.
