Afterward, the 23-year-old lefty said pitching a no-hitter remained a goal of his. Actually, he said he'd like to pitch one every year.
"He could do it," said one scout who watched from behind the backstop as Hamels dazzled the Brewers with a three-pitch mix - fastball, changeup and curveball. "There aren't many young guys in the game close to him. He's got as good a changeup as anyone in the game. His fastball was 93 [m.p.h.] in the sixth inning, and he has the ability to add and subtract to it. When he uses his curveball, he's even better. He could be great."
Entering Friday, the NL leader boards were teeming with burgeoning young stars age 25 and under.
Hamels was leading the league with six wins. His 70 strikeouts were one fewer than leader Jake Peavy of San Diego. Peavy was second in the league with a 1.64 ERA. He doesn't turn 26 until later this month.
Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis, who won the rookie of the year in 2003 and finished second in the Cy Young race in 2005, seems like he's been around forever. But he's just 25. The Giants recently recalled 22-year-old righthander Tim Lincecum, their first-round pick in last year's draft. He pitched seven innings and allowed one unearned run while striking out 10 in the Giants' win over Houston on Thursday.
"He's unbelievable," Astros third baseman Mike Lamb told reporters afterward. "He was throwing 97 [m.p.h.] with movement. You don't see that every day."
There are a slew of 25-and-under hitters that would make a loyal NL lifer like Bill Giles smile.
Three of them - Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks - were just in Philadelphia with the Brewers.
Hardy, a 24-year-old shortstop, left Philadelphia leading the NL in homers (13) and RBIs (39). Fielder, 23, was second in homers (12) and third in RBIs (33). Weeks, 24, was among the league leaders in runs.
