With the Philadelphia Phillies in a good position to make the 2023 postseason, they made acquiring starting pitching reinforcements a priority prior to the trade deadline. To that end, the Phillies acquired Michael Lorenzen, the 31-year old starter turned reliever turned starter, to gear up for the stretch run. And Lorenzen is certainly proving that he's worth his weight in gold. After a solid Phillies debut in which he allowed just two runs in eight innings of work, the veteran starter pitched the game of his life on Wednesday night, throwing a no-hitter in a 7-0 win over the hapless Washington Nationals.

There's not a single starting pitcher in the world who doesn't want the glory of leading his team to victory in the manner Lorenzen did for the Phillies on Wednesday night. In fact, the 31-year old pitcher still can't believe that he's finally achieved one of the hardest feats for a big league pitcher, as it wasn't that long ago for him that he was just watching the legendary Nolan Ryan carve up the opposition with his seven career no-hitters.

“I’ve watched every single one of Nolan Ryan’s no-hitters because I’ve always wanted to throw a no-hitter. And the fact that I just did it in front of this fan base, I can’t believe it,” Lorenzen said on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast following his dominant outing, per The Athletic.

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It's always a surreal moment whenever a moment one has been dreaming of finally comes true — and that is certainly the case for Michael Lorenzen here. Nolan Ryan is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball, so for the Phillies veteran to join a club in which Ryan is the head honcho of? That is simply an incredible achievement, and one that would last long in Lorenzen's memory.

The Phillies have certainly gotten immediately stellar returns from Lorenzen after trading for him from the Detroit Tigers mere hours before the deadline. He's pitched 17 innings in two starts, proving to be a mighty capable workhorse for a Phillies team that's looking like a dark-horse contender to win it all — especially if Lorenzen continues being a steady hand on the mound.