Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres has kept the Washington Nationals hitless through eight innings.
Cease has thrown 103 pitches, including 63 strikes, and has faced one batter more than the minimum.
The 28-year-old right-hander has allowed only three baserunners. Lane Thomas walked with one out in the first inning but was caught stealing, then walked again in the fourth but was out on Jesse Winker’s double-play grounder. CJ Abrams walked to start the seventh inning but was left at second base.
The Nationals’ closest attempt at a hit was when Juan Yepez hit a fly ball to shallow center in the fifth inning. The ball popped out of second baseman Xander Bogaerts’ glove, but center fielder Jackson Merrill caught it before it hit the ground.
Bogaerts also had a bobble while making a diving stop on Keibert Ruiz’s grounder with one out in the eighth inning but managed to throw out Ruiz at first base.
Cease had two complete games in 144 big league starts before this, both shutouts: a seven-inning three-hitter against Detroit on April 29, 2021, and a nine-inning one-hitter against Minnesota on September 3, 2022, when Luis Arráez hit a single to right-center with two outs in the ninth inning.
His season high is 113 pitches over seven scoreless innings at the Chicago White Sox on May 8, which matched his career high.
San Diego is leading 3-0, thanks to Ha-Seong Kim’s three-run single in the first inning.
The only no-hitter this season so far was by Houston’s Ronel Blanco against Toronto on April 1.
Joe Musgrove is the only Padres pitcher to have thrown a no-hitter, which happened on April 9, 2021.
