Blake Snell was just one out away from throwing the first no-hitter of his career and needed to face power-hitting Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz one last time.
Cruz swung at Snell’s first pitch of the at-bat, a 97.8 mph fastball down the middle, and drove it hard toward the right-center field gap. Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, who had been put in for defensive purposes in the eighth inning, raced to the ball, jumped, and made the catch to preserve Snell’s no-hitter and secure the 3-0 win.
The 31-year-old left-hander, who is the reigning Cy Young Award winner, was celebrated by his teammates. This was the third no-hitter in the majors this season.
“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,” he added. “I need to go home and let it sink in. I haven’t really processed the game.”
Snell (1-3) struck out 10 batters and threw 114 pitches, with 78 of them being strikes. He said he threw strikes in the ninth inning because he was worried that Giants manager Bob Melvin might take him out if he reached 120 pitches. He wanted to finish the game, something he hadn’t done in his 202 major league starts.
“I knew in my head I had to get it over the plate,” Snell said. It took him 10 pitches to strike out Santiago Espinal and get Jonathan India out with a comebacker before De La Cruz swung at the 11th pitch.
Melvin mentioned that he was prepared to pull Snell if he had allowed a hit in the ninth inning. He was keeping a close eye on Snell because the pitcher had started to develop a blister around the seventh inning.
“That’s as nervous as I had been in a long time,” Melvin said. “I wanted that for him so bad. If anybody has the stuff to throw a no-hitter, it’s Blake Snell.”
Snell was particularly strong against the top of Cincinnati’s lineup, striking out India three times and De La Cruz and Spencer Steer twice each.
Snell achieved the 18th no-hitter in Giants’ franchise history and the third no-hitter in the majors this season. Houston’s Ronal Blanco threw a no-hitter against Toronto on April 1, and San Diego’s Dylan Cease pitched a no-hitter against Washington on July 25.
“I don’t think it will be his only one,” said Reds pitcher Nick Martinez, who played with Snell in San Diego last season. “He was commanding the ball very well. It seemed like he didn’t miss a spot all night. He has some electric stuff.”
Casey Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald hit home runs for the Giants on Friday.
On July 14, Snell threw six perfect innings against Minnesota before Manuel Margot’s single led off the seventh inning. In his last game on July 27, he struck out 15 and allowed only two hits through six innings.
He won the Cy Young Award with San Diego last season after also winning it in 2018 as a Tampa Bay Ray. He became the seventh player in major league history to win the award in both leagues. He signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants before this season.
Snell is the fifth reigning Cy Young Award winner to throw a no-hitter, joining Jake Arrieta (2016), Clayton Kershaw (2014), Bob Gibson (1971), and Sandy Koufax (1964), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Giants’ last no-hitter was by Chris Heston on June 19, 2015, when San Francisco defeated the New York Mets 5-0.
The Reds were last no-hit on May 17, 2019, by Mike Fiers of the Oakland A’s in a 2-0 loss. Reds starter Andrew Abbott pitched just 4 1/3 innings on Friday, giving up two runs and seven hits while striking out eight.
