Dylan Cease pitched the second no-hitter in the majors this season, lifting the visiting San Diego Padres to a 3-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.
Cease, 28, struck out nine batters and walked three while throwing a career-high 114 pitches to complete San Diego’s three-game sweep of Washington.
He retired Ildemaro Vargas on the grounder to second base to start the ninth inning. He then induced Jacob Young to ground out and former Padre CJ Abrams to line out to right field.
Cease (10-8) became the second pitcher in Padres history to toss a no-hitter. San Diego native Joe Musgrove accomplished the feat against the Texas Rangers on April 9, 2021.
Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco tossed a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1 this season.
Cease lobbied to stay in the game following a brief conversation with manager Mike Shildt after the seventh inning.
“He said, ‘Nice job,’ and I looked up (and the scoreboard) said 94 pitches,” Cease told MLB Network. “I said I feel great, and if we get through the next (inning) in like 105. I’ve thrown 113 pitches this year. Thankfully they let me talk him into it, and here we are.”
Schildt said Musgrove helped lobby for Cease sticking around another inning — at least — calling his stuff “pretty good.”
After a brief pause, Schildt said he thought, “Well, he’s thrown one. He knows.”
Cease nearly had a no-hitter on Sept. 3, 2022, while pitching for the Chicago White Sox. Luis Arraez ended that bid for the Minnesota Twins with a two-out single in the ninth inning.
Thursday’s game was delayed 76 minutes by rain during the top of the first inning.
Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, Juan Yepez hit a blooper to short center that bounced out of the glove of second baseman Xander Bogaerts but was caught in the air by center fielder Jackson Merrill.
“I feel like in every no-hitter there are a couple of plays that kind of save it,” Cease said. “I think there were a couple right there. Made it happen.”
Ha-Seong Kim drove in three in the first inning for San Diego, which has won five straight overall and all six meetings this season with Washington.
The Nationals scored three runs in the series, all of them coming in the first inning of a 12-3 setback on Wednesday.
Washington’s Patrick Corbin (2-10) took the loss Thursday after yielding three runs on four hits over seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
The Padres seized a 3-0 lead during a rain-interrupted first inning. With one out, Donovan Solano singled and Bogaerts walked. After Manny Machado lined out, Jake Cronenworth walked to load the bases. With a 1-0 count to Kim, the game was delayed by rain and Corbin appeared to have words with an umpire as he left the field.
When play resumed, Kim sent a blooper to left-center field. The ball deflected off the glove of a diving James Wood, and all three runners came home on the base hit.
Lane Thomas walked with one out in the Washington first but was caught stealing. Thomas walked again in the fourth and Jesse Winker followed by grounding into a double play.
Abrams walked leading off the seventh and moved to second when Thomas grounded out. Winker then flied to left and Yepez grounded out. Bogaerts ranged to his left to field Keibert Ruiz’s grounder in the eighth and bobbled it before throwing Ruiz out.
–Field Level Media
