San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, striking out 11 during a dominant 114-pitch outing.
Snell got Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz to fly out to right fielder Mike Yastrzemski for the final out of a 3-0 win for the Giants.
It’s the 18th no-hitter in Giants history. The last one occurred in 2015 when Chris Heston no-hit the New York Mets.
It’s the first no-hitter thrown by the two-time Cy Young winner, who’d never pitched more than 7 2/3 innings before Friday’s outing.
“They can’t say it anymore. You know? Complete game, shutout, no-hitter. Leave me alone,” Snell said postgame, according to SF Giants on NBCS. “‘He doesn’t go into the 9th. He doesn’t go into the 8th.’ Just did it. Leave me alone.”
Snell is also the fifth reigning Cy Young winner to throw a no-hitter, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. He joins Sandy Koufax (1964), Bob Gibson (1971), Clayton Kershaw (2014), and Jake Arrieta (2016).
The 31-year-old has been nearly untouchable over this last five starts, allowing two earned runs with eight hits and 41 strikeouts in 33 innings.
Snell’s no-hitter is the third of the season. Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco tossed one against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1, while Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres no-hit the Washington Nationals on July 25.
