The Giants' Blake Snell was one out away from pitching the first no-hit game in his illustrious career and had to get power-hitting Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz one more time. Cruz jumped on Snell's first pitch, a 97.8mph fastball in the middle of the zone, ripping it hard to the gap in right-center field in Cincinnati. San Francisco right fielder Mike Yastrzemski—inserted for defensive purposes in the eighth inning—ran it down, leaping to make the catch and preserve Snell's gem and 3-0 win on Friday night. The 31-year-old lefty, the league's reigning Cy Young Award winner, was mobbed by teammates. It was third no-hitter in the majors this season, the AP reports.
"You're so amped up in the last inning there, to be able to make that throw when you are trying to throw it as hard as you can to the plate," Snell said. "I'm still kind of in shock. I need to go home and let it sink in." Snell struck out 10 and threw 114 pitches, 78 of them strikes. He said he came into the ninth inning throwing strikes because he feared manager Bob Melvin would remove him at 120 pitches. Snell wanted the complete game, something he'd never accomplished in 201 major league starts. It took him 10 pitches to strike out Santiago Espinal and get Jonathan India on a comebacker before De La Cruz swung at the 11th.
Actually, Melvin said he was ready to pull Snell if he had allowed a hit in the ninth. "That's as nervous as I had been in a long time," Melvin said. "I wanted that for him so bad." It was the 18th no-hitter in Giants' franchise history and the third in the majors this season. "I don't think it will be his only one," said Reds pitcher Nick Martinez, adding: "It seemed like he didn't miss a spot all night. He has some electric stuff." Snell won the Cy Young while playing for San Diego last season after winning it in 2018 as a Tampa Bay Ray. He became the fifth reigning Cy Young Award winner to throw a no-hitter, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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