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The professional career for Leonardo Crawford is off to a very nice start. The 18-year-old left-hander started and pitched the first 6⅓ innings of a combined no-hitter by the Dodgers Dominican Summer League team in a 7-0 win over the DSL Mets on Thursday.
Crawford retired the first eight batters of the game before hitting a batter in the third inning. His only other runner allowed to reach base was a walk with one out in the seventh, his final batter of the game. Crawford struck out nine in the win and after his first three professional starts is 3-0 with one unearned run allowed on five hits in 17⅓ innings, with 19 strikeouts and three walks.
Dodgers scouts Nemesio Porras and Luis Molina found Crawford in Nicaragua and signed him last July 2, the first day of the international signing period, for a signing bonus of $47,500.
Espectacular labor del nica Leonardo Crawford en República Dominicana. Tiró no hit no run, lleva 3-0 y lanza 0.00 pic.twitter.com/g39Zd9R6tj
— Revista Beisbolera (@RBeisbolera) June 12, 2015
Wally Vrolijk followed Crawford by recording five outs, including two by strikeout. Johan Diaz followed with a scoreless, hitless ninth, allowing one walk, to complete the combined no-hitter.
This was the first no-hitter in the Dominican Summer League since Aug. 7, 2012, per Danny Wild of MiLB.com.