Deep sixed

The Joliet Slammers performed the rarest of feats Saturday night as six pitchers combined to throw a 10-inning no-hitter at Traverse City. The Slammers won the game 4-1 by scoring three runs in the top of the 10th.

It was the second no-hitter in Slammers history.

Chase Doremus, a relief pitcher, made his first professional start for Joliet, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up the lone run. He walked five and struck out six.

Lucas Goodigon followed and retired the only batter he faced. Jason Sullivan, Cory Kimes and Matt Dillon each threw one inning. Brett Zawacki (6-7) was the winning pitcher, throwing the final two innings.

That six-pitcher performance sparked one question: What is the major league record for most pitchers used in a no-hitter?

The answer is 6.

It happened only one time, on June 11, 2003, as the Houston Astros used six pitchers to no-hit the New York Yankees. Roy Oswalt started the game but left only two pitches into the second inning after suffering a groin injury. He was followed by Pete Munro (2 2/3 innings), Kirk Saarloos (1 1/3), Brad Lidge (2), Octavio Dotel (1) and Billy Wagner (1).