Jake Arrieta threw his second career no-hitter Thursday, blanking the Reds in a 16-0 thrashing.
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This one was a 16-0 romp for the Cubs over the Cincinnati Reds, the most runs scored by a team throwing a no-hitter in 132 years.
Jake Arrieta tossed his second career no-hitter Thursday night. Arrieta walked his first batter in the frame, but retired the next three to finish the game with 119 pitches.
Kris Bryant put the Cubs on the board with a two-run home run, his third of the season, against Brandon Finnegan in the first inning.
The Reds had not been no-hit in 7,109 consecutive regular-season games, which was 811 short of the Cubs’ mark of 7,920 games.
Arrieta is the first Cubs pitcher to win his first four starts in a season since Greg Maddux went 5-0 in 2006.
Arrieta became the fourth reigning Cy Young Award victor to throw a no-hitter, joining Sandy Koufax (1964 Dodgers), Bob Gibson (1971 Cardinals) and Clayton Kershaw (2014 Dodgers).
The Cubs right-hander is 4-0 with a minuscule 0.87 ERA in his four starts this season, allowing only three runs in his 31 innings on the season.
All told, the Cubs pounded out 14 hits and drew four walks in the 13-run outburst. The Phillies’ Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter against them in the playoffs in 2010. There’s no better pitcher in baseball-perhaps no better player, period-than Arrieta at the moment.
“You’re always shocked when something like that happens”, said center fielder Dexter Fowler, who was on base five of the six times he batted and recorded three of the last six outs Thursday.
With a sizeable contingent of Cubs fans among the 16,497 in attendance standing and roaring with each strike, Arrieta walked Scott Schebler to begin the ninth.
“Baseball history, there’s so many things I’ve been able to be a part of over these last 12, 15 months”, Arrieta said.
Jake Arrieta (left) celebrates with catcher David Ross after the final out of his no-hitter.
Arrieta and catcher David Ross embraced halfway between home plate and the mound as the rest of the Cubs circled around him.
“Pitching a no-hitter is special, but catching a no-hitter is very special, too”, Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. “He locked it in when he needed to”.
This time, the offense made the outcome a moot point while extending the Cubs’ best start since 1970 at 12-4.
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Mike Trout’s offensive revival continued with a two-run homer as Los Angeles salvaged a series split with Chicago. That’s a famous no-hitter because Wise pretty much singlehandedly beat the Reds, with the no-hitter and two home runs and three RBI.
