No-no? Yes yes!

Chicago Cubs' Ted Lilly's recent no-no bid that ended with zero outs in the 9th was just another close call to a major league pitcher's claim of immortality. To make it even more interesting, Chicago White Sox' Gavin Floyd had his own going until Alfonso Soriano's double with 2 outs in the 7th. Does the fact that two opposing pitchers took no hitters into at the least the 7th inning show that the steroid era is over and the pitching era has begun? Let's look deeper.

So far this season, MLB fans have witnessed no hitters by Ubaldo Jimenez, Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay; of course Braden and Halladay's were perfect games. The MLB has not seen two perfect games in one season since 1880 when two pitchers you most likely have never heard of (Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs and John Montgomery War of the Providence Grays) performed the feat. While baseball has seen three no-hitters in a season on multiple occasions (2007 being the most recent), it has never seemed that there has been this many close calls before the season was even half over. Let's not also forget:

• Toronto's Ricky Romero lost a no-hitter in the 8th inning on a hit to left by Alex Rios
• NYY's C.C. Sabathia's bid was lost with two outs in the 8th inning off Kelly Shoppach's hit to left
• Detroit's Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game with two outs in the 9th when umpire Jim Joyce blew a call on the throw to first

Could this all be considered coincidence? It's going to take until the end of the season to decide that mystery. The MLB is on pace to witness five perfect games and a total of seven no hitters this season. That would shatter records in both categories and would mean even more because of the close calls.

Thus far in 2010, the average team ERA is 4.17 which is much lower compared to 2009 and 2008 where average team ERAs were posted at 4.31 and 4.32 respectively.
This could mean that the steroid era is, in fact, over and pitchers are going to begin dominating the league again which hasn't been seen since perhaps Glavine-Maddux-Smoltz or even before.