Miles Mikolas had the dream scenario sitting in front of him, the one you imagine as a little kid pitching in your backyard. The St. Louis Cardinals pitcher completely blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates with a no-hitter through eight and 2/3rds innings.

With the Cardinals up big and the fantastic feat being the only thing left to play for, Miles Mikolas was one strike away from sealing the no-no. But then, this happened:

Pirates outfielder Cal Mitchell, with all of 60 at-bats in his young career, came in as a pinch hitter. And hit he certainly did on an off-speed pitch that was left in the zone.

The Cardinals still cruised comfortably for the 9-1 win, but Miles Mikolas was understandably distraught after getting one strike away from the history books.

“It kind of stinks to not finish that out,” admitted the Cardinals pitcher. “I don't have one yet. I have friends that have and it would've been nice to join that conversation. I can't say enough about our defense tonight. We were everywhere we had to be making fantastic plays all game. I kind of feel like I let them down after all that great defense today.”

At the end of the day, a win is a win as the St. Louis Cardinals build their lead in the NL Central. But the lost no-hitter will certainly haunt Miles Mikolas for years to come.