Bobby Wilson, the other half of the battery, gets a charge out of no-hitter

Reporting from Cleveland — Bobby Wilson caught the first pitch of Ervin Santana’s no-hitter shortly after noon Wednesday, local time. But he started working on it almost seven months ago in Arizona.

“Those long days of spring training, when we’re sitting back behind the plate going over where they want to throw the pitch, where they want you to set up. This is what we work for,” Wilson said. “This is our ultimate goal [in the] the pitcher-catcher relationship. That’s something that we talk about every single day.

“And today it worked out. It’s amazing.”

And surprising. Because if you had to pick the Angels’ most unlikely catcher-pitcher combination to team up for a no-hitter, it would be hard to do better than Wilson and Santana.

Wednesday’s start was only the 10th of the season for Wilson, while Santana (6-8) is only now beginning to rebound from a slump that saw him go more than a month without a win.

“This is what we strive for every time we get behind the plate,” said Wilson, who was wearing a wide grin behind the eye black smeared on both cheeks. “To be able to do it in the big leagues is special.

“It’s a day I’ll probably never forget and take with me moving forward.”

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, who caught no-hitters by Fernando Valenzuela and Kevin Gross during his playing days with the Dodgers, said Wilson was right to take pride in Santana’s performance.

“Calling a no-hitter is quite an accomplishment. It really is,” he said. “And the satisfaction you get from a catcher, being part of that, is something that you’ll keep the rest of your life.

“It’s a rarity. And you definitely have to take ownership of what you need to do to help that pitcher. As a catcher it’s that pride.”

The Indians, while committing five errors, came close to a hit once, when Jason Kipnis hit a ground ball up the middle leading off the sixth. But second baseman Howie Kendrick made a sliding, backhanded stop, then whirled and threw from his knees to get the out.

“We all know what’s going on,” Kendrick said. “Right there I was just trying to knock that ball down, keep it in the infield. I had goose bumps walking off the field. It’s something really special.

“I definitely will always remember this.”

The Indians, who are in a deeper offensive slump than the Angels, managed five runs and 13 hits in the three-game series, scoring their run Wednesday in the first inning on a walk, stolen base and wild pitch. But Cleveland’s Manny Acta, who managed Santana in winter ball in the Dominican Republic, said the right-hander would have dominated any team with the way he threw.

“He was good. Really good,” Acta said. “Regardless of how our lineup is going, you can’t take credit away from him.”

Wilson, who caught one other professional no-hitter, by Sean O’Sullivan in the minor leagues, also praised his pitcher.

“You didn’t see him shy away from any hitters. He went right after them. He wasn’t scared out there. He said, ‘Here it is. If you can hit it, hit it’,” Wilson said. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a baseball field.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com