LOS ANGELES—Former Austin Peay State University baseball star A.J. Ellis was on the receiving end of Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter, Wednesday night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies, 8-0.

It was the first major league no-hitter caught by Ellis. He was a spectator May 25th when Drew Butera caught Josh Beckett's no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kershaw's gem was the 22nd no-hitter in Dodgers franchise history.

Kershaw and Ellis teamed up to face just 28 batters, just one over of the minimum, utilizing 107 pitches and only six in the ninth inning. How efficient was Kershaw? He averaged less than 12 pitches per inning but still had 15 strikeouts, which tied Warren Spahn (1960) for the most by a lefty in a no-hitter.

"I told him (Kershaw) it was not fair to have a devastating slider and devastating curveball on the same night," said Ellis of his battery mate and best friend on the Dodgers after the game in TV interviews.

After catching the final pitch as Kershaw fanned Corey Dickerson to end the game, Ellis conscientiously tossed his catcher's mask and helmet to the right-handed batters box before greeting Kershaw below the mound area. Ellis suffered a sprained ankle when he stepped on Butera's catcher's mask in the post-game Beckett celebration in late May. That injury landed Ellis on the 15-day disabled list.

This is Ellis' fifth full season as a Dodger and third as their No. 1 catcher.

-AP-