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Triston McKenzie comes close to giving Cleveland Indians first perfect game since 1981; Tribe wins 11-0

The pitcher made it to the bottom of the 8th before the Detroit Tigers finally got a hit.

DETROIT — Editor's note: The video in the player above is from a previously published, unrelated story.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Triston McKenzie came close to giving the team its first game in nearly 40 years.

On Sunday, the Tribe faced off against the Detroit Tigers in Michigan and McKenzie, in just his second year in the major leagues, began inching toward a perfect game. 

At the bottom of the seventh inning, McKenzie had pitched a perfect game against the Tigers, leaving all of Northeast Ohio on the edge of its seat. However, in the game's 8th inning, Detroit's Harold Castro killed the streak, putting the Tigers on the field.

RELATED: 'Beyond the Dugout' with Cleveland Indians pitcher Triston McKenzie

The last time that the Indians had a perfect game was with pitcher Len Barker on May 15, 1981, against the Toronto Blue Jays in Cleveland. If McKenzie had succeeded Sunday, it would have also been the first perfect game in the MLB since Félix Hernández (Seattle Mariners) faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays in August of 2012.

3News' Dave Chudowsky talked with McKenzie earlier this year about his time in the major leagues, and his highs and lows of the season so far, including when the 23-year-old set a new club record by striking out eight consecutive batters during the course of his start in a May game against the White Sox. 

Despite losing the perfect game, the Tribe still won against the Tigers, 11-0. 

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