DON LARSEN

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber put a sudden end to that record-tying hitless streak by Houston pitchers.

Justin Verlander has a very tough act to follow.

Cristian Javier and Houston’s bullpen combined on just the second no-hitter in World Series history, silencing a booming lineup and boisterous ballpark as the Astros blanked the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 Wednesday night to even the matchup at two games each.

Cristian Javier and Bryan Abreu held the Philadelphia Phillies hitless through seven innings in Game 4 of the World Series, and the Houston Astros led 5-0 after knocking out Aaron Nola in a five-run fifth.

Pinch-hitter Aledmys Díaz has blooped a leadoff single to begin the eighth inning for Atlanta’s first hit against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the World Series.

Not long after came a seismic jolt, the helicopter crash of Kobe Bryant in the fog-shrouded California hills that reverberated across sports and across continents. Deep into the year, a bookend to Bryant, Diego Maradona died from a heart attack in Argentina weeks after brain surgery, the waves of grief rippling across soccer. The losses, of course, came against a backdrop of a pandemic, its number of fatalities rolled out daily on TV screens. Niekro won 318 games and pitched until he was 48, his knuckleball dancing and mystifying batters across the decades. Kurt Thomas in 1978 became the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world title but lost an Olympic shot in 1980 because of the boycott.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

Giolito simply dazzled in his postseason debut, stymieing the Oakland Athletics through six perfect innings and sending the White Sox to a 4-1 victory in the opener of their best-of-three wild-card series Tuesday. “It was a different feel though because throwing a perfect game, no-hitter is a great personal accomplishment, but we’re in the playoffs, the goal is to win the game,” Giolito said. They lost in the AL wild card game each of the past two seasons after 97 wins both times. No big deal for the White Sox, apparently. RHP Chris Bassitt, drafted by the White Sox before being traded to Oakland in December 2014, takes the ball for the A's with victories in his last three decisions.

Chicago White Sox's Lucas Giolito pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of Game 1 of an American League wild-card baseball series Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)OAKLAND, Calif. – Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito is pitching a perfect game through six innings against the Oakland Athletics in their playoff opener. Giolito pitched a no-hitter against Pittsburgh on Aug. 25. Jake Lamb's line drive to center field in the fifth was the hardest-hit ball by the A's against the 27-year-old Giolito. The White Sox lead 3-0 in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Halladay and Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in the 1956 World Series against Brooklyn, have the only two postseason no-hitters.

Don Larsen, the journeyman pitcher who reached the heights of baseball glory in 1956 for the New York Yankees when he threw a perfect game and the only no-hitter in World Series history, died Wednesday night. On the night before his perfect game, he had been out on the town, believing he was not in Stengel's plans for the next day. He won Game 2 of the 1957 series against Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves, but lost the decisive Game 7. Pitching against the Yankees on Oct. 8, the sixth anniversary of his perfect game, he won in relief at Yankee Stadium. When the Yankees' David Cone pitched a perfect game during the 1999 season, Larsen was in attendance, having thrown out the first ball.