AJ Smith-Shawver was rolling right along when he realized his Atlanta Braves teammates were beginning to avoid him.
They had a good reason. The 22-year-old right-hander hadn’t given up a hit against the Cincinnati Reds — and the rest of the Braves didn’t want to jinx him.
After pitching into the eighth inning for the first time as a professional, Smith-Shawver wasn’t quite able to complete the no-hitter Monday night in his 11th major league start — and 70th overall since getting drafted in 2021. But his only blemish in a 4-0 win was Santiago Espinal’s sharp single to center field leading off the eighth.