Where does Alex Cobb's near no-hitter rate among Treasure Coast's best pro performances?
Alex Cobb came painfully close to a historic achievement.
The San Francisco Giants pitcher and Vero Beach High School graduate came within an out of a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Spencer Steer’s two-out RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning broke up the no-hit bid.
Cobb struck out eight, walked one — also in the ninth inning — and threw a career-high 131 pitches, 83 for strikes.
It was a career night for the right-hander.
San Francisco's Alex Cobb comes one out from no-hitter in Giants' 6-1 win over Reds
Vero Beach's Alex Cobb makes MLB All-Star Game for first time in 12 seasons
Here’s a look at some of the other standout performances by professional athletes from the Treasure Coast. (For the purposes of this exercise, we’re just focused on individual games in team sports.)
Rick Ankiel (Aug. 9, 2007)
This game isn’t notable because of Ankiel’s overall performance (1-for-4 at the plate) but for what it meant on a larger scale. The former pitcher hadn’t appeared in a major league game in almost three years after struggling with control issues but resurrected his career as an outfielder. In the first game back with the St. Louis Cardinals, Ankiel (Port St. Lucie) hit a three-run home run against the San Diego Padres. It was a storybook moment that made him just the third player to hit a home run as a pitcher and as a position player, joining Babe Ruth and Clint Hartung.
Eddie Edwards (Dec. 21, 1980)
The Cincinnati Bengals star defensive end made a huge impact in the season finale against the rival Cleveland Browns. Edwards (Fort Pierce Central) sacked Browns quarterback Brian Sipe five times. The game occurred two seasons before the NFL started counting sacks as an official statistic, but Edwards’ performance still goes down as one of the best in Bengal history.
Charles Johnson (May 11, 1996)
This was a memorable night for more reasons than Johnson’s three-run home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies. Johnson (Fort Pierce Westwood) called Al Leiter’s no-hitter, which was the first in Florida Marlins history. Johnson is one of 18 catchers with three or more no-hitters on his resume — a list that includes Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella and Buster Posey.
Jimmie Jones (Jan. 31, 1993)
Jones (Okeechobee) had a record-setting performance on the biggest stage: Super Bowl XXVII. The Cowboys defensive tackle recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the first quarter. He recovered another fumble later in the game to become the first player in Super Bowl history to recover two fumbles in a single game.
Khalil Mack (Dec. 13, 2015)
Mack earned his first career AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his five-sack game against the Denver Broncos. In addition to sacking Brock Osweiler five times, Mack (Fort Pierce Westwood) had seven tackles, seven quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. Mack’s performance tied him with Hall of Famer Howie Long for the most in a single game in Oakland Raiders history.
Larry Sanders (Nov. 30, 2012)
Sanders’ breakout season — he finished third in voting for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and second in blocks per game — was highlighted by a triple-double against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sanders (Port St. Lucie) had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. It was Sanders’ lone career triple-double and set a career high in blocks. The 10 blocks tied him with Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the Milwaukee Bucks single-game record.
Justin Simmons (Nov. 13, 2016)
Simmons is a three-time All-Pro and was tied for the league lead in interceptions in 2022, but one of his career moments came in his rookie year. With the New Orleans Saints lining up for the go-ahead extra point with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Simmons (Martin County) leaped over the center and blocked the kick. The ball was recovered by Will Parks and returned 84 yards to give the Denver Broncos a 25-23 win. Simmons was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Albert Wilson (Oct. 15, 2018)
Wilson (Port St. Lucie) became the first Miami Dolphins receiver in more than 20 years with at least 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a game when he caught six passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his outing, which included 138 yards after the catch, a 75-yard touchdown and a 43-yard score.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Alex Cobb's near no-hitter: Where it rates among area's all-time best
