GCL Nationals pitcher oblivious he was part of historic doubleheader no-hitter

In the deep minor leagues, the unrelenting grind and devotion to routine can create a mental haze, as bus rides and cheap motels and the days themselves run together.

For Jared Johnson, that haze clouded the knowledge that he was part of history on Sunday.

Johnson, a left-hander, was to make his second professional start for the rookie Gulf Coast League Nationals in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday. As Game 1 against the GCL Marlins reached the fifth inning, Johnson left the dugout at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium and headed to the team bus to eat his team-issued lunch.

As Johnson dined on a turkey wrap, apple chips and granola bar, he had no idea teammate Joan Baez had pitched five no-hit innings.

When Johnson loosened up for his start, he didn’t know Baez and reliever Jose Jimenez completed the seven-inning no-hitter in the 4-0 victory.

And after Johnson pitched four scoreless innings, completed his conditioning and shoulder exercises and returned to the dugout to watch the final two innings, he was oblivious that he handed a no-hitter off to reliever Gilberto Chu.

Chu, not unlike the three Nationals pitchers who preceded him this day, was perfect, striking out four in three innings and completing a feat that certainly can’t be topped: No-hitters in both ends of a doubleheader.

Just one catch: One of its protagonists had no idea it was happening.

“I had no idea on any no-hitter until after both games,” Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. “It was a little different, because everyone else knew. People were more excited, the fans that were there knew. So it was pretty cool.”

So nobody bothered to tell Johnson, who struck out two, walked one and lowered his ERA to 0.64, that he was about to get a piece of history?

More:Minor leaguers throw 2 no-hitters in doubleheader

More:Nationals' Strasburg leaves game after two innings

More:Five MLB prospects too good to get traded

“They might have talked about it,” he said, “but I wasn’t there.”

Don’t feel bad for Johnson, though — he had plenty of hugs once it was done.

Johnson, 21, was drafted just last month in the 17th round, out of Palm Beach Community College, which is five miles from Roger Dean Stadium. His childhood home in Royal Palm Beach is less than a half hour drive.

So of the 30 or so fans on hand — “A pretty big crowd for the GCL,” Johnson noted — many came to see him pitch: His parents, girlfriend, older sister and brother-in-law — former major league pitcher Mike Wood.

They saw Johnson deftly mix his 93-mph fastball with a changeup that he says is his best secondary pitch.

In the dugout, Johnson’s task wasn’t to worry about no-hitters, or anything else. He was to pitch a predetermined number of innings, but the Nationals do not share that number with him. Knowing his previous season high was two innings, he knew he wouldn’t be long for this game, no-hitter or not.

“A couple guys on the bench asked me, and I said, ‘I’m just going until they say I’m out,” Johnson said. “I like having that mindset; you don’t think, ‘Oh, this is my last inning, I need to impress people.’

“You just go and then wait until they shake your hand and say you’re done.”

And so Johnson pitched his four innings and went about his post-start routine.

He could be excused if the day didn’t seem extraordinary. Weather can wreak havoc on the GCL schedule, and the Nationals were playing their second doubleheader in as many days, and third in a week. Thirty-four games remain in the first season of pro ball for most of them.

Johnson could opt to sleep in his own bed, but he bunks at the modest hotel the club provides.

“I want to be with the team,” he said, “and experience the pro ball lifestyle, even though I’m 15 minutes from home.”

Sunday, he experienced a baseball truism: You always see something different every time you go to the ballpark — even if you’re not aware it’s happening at the time.

“Just another day at the field for us,” he said.

Follow Gabe Lacques on Twitter @GabeLacques.

MLB photo of the day