Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox pitches no-hitter after flirting with a perfect game.
CHICAGO — Carlos Rodon threw the second no-hitter of the baseball season Wednesday night, losing his bid for a perfect game on a hit batter with one out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
The left-hander retired his first 25 batters before he plunked Roberto Perez on the back foot with an 0-2 slider. An incredulous Rodon looked on almost in bewilderment as Perez made his way to first.
Rodon regained his composure in time to strike out Yu Chang looking and retire Jordan Luplow on a sharp grounder to third, starting a joyous celebration. The crowd of 7,148 cheered as Rodon (2-0) jumped around with teammates near the mound and then started handing out hugs.
It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Lucas Giolito pitched one Aug. 25 of last year against Pittsburgh and No. 20 in franchise history, second-most among major-league teams behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (23).
Perez made two hard outs earlier in the game and said when he came up in the ninth, he was unaware Rodon had not allowed a baserunner.
On his way to first, the Indians catcher was asked by Rodon if he really got hit by the ball.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think he had a perfect game until I got hit,” Perez said. “I thought he had a no-hitter going on, but I really didn’t think he had a perfect game.
“It’s hard, man. I’m not going to stand there and get hit, especially on a night like tonight when it was cold.
But that’s just part of the game.”
Rodon threw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes. The No. 3 pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of North Carolina State struck out seven in his first major-league shutout and second complete game.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 4 Bo Bichette homered twice, including a game-ending drive leading off the ninth inning, lifting Toronto over New York in Dunedin, Fla.
RANGERS 5, RAYS 1 Nate Lowe hit a home run and Texas rookie Kohei Arihara got his first major-league victory as Texas beat Tampa Bay. ROYALS 6, ANGELS 1 Salvador Perez homered and doubled to lead Kansas City past Los Angeles.
RED SOX 3-7, TWINS 2-1 Alex Verdugo had three hits, including a two-run single in a sixrun fifth inning, and Boston extended its winning streak to nine games, beating Minnesota in the second game of a doubleheader. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0) pitched 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits for Boston, which has come from behind in six of its nine wins this season after opening the year with three consecutive losses. Verdugo had five hits in the doubleheader.
TIGERS 6, ASTROS 4 Michael Fulmer earned his first win since 2018 as Detroit built a 6-0 lead before holding off Houston.
NATIONAL LEAGUE BREWERS 7, CUBS 0 Corbin Burnes struck out 10 in six dominant innings and also delivered a two-run single for his first career RBI as Milwaukee beat Chicago.
METS 5, PHILLIES 1 David Peterson (1-1) matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts and batterymate James McCann (Arkansas Razorbacks) hit his first home run with the Mets, sending New York past Philadelphia.
NATIONALS 6, CARDINALS 0 Joe Ross pitched six sharp innings and Washington threw its first regular-season shutout at St. Louis. Ross (1-0) improved to 3-0 in four career starts against the Cardinals. He allowed 4 hits, struck out 5 and walked 1. He also singled and scored a run. GIANTS 3, REDS 0 Johnny Cueto pitched neatly into the sixth inning before exiting with a tight lat muscle, and San Francisco finished off Cincinnati.
PIRATES 5, PADRES 1 Gregory Polanco homered and Pittsburgh defeated San Diego, beating Joe Musgrove in his first start since throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history. MARLINS 6, BRAVES 5 (10) Jesus Aguilar drove in the winning run with a 10th-inning double and Miami overcame two home runs by Ronald Acuaa Jr. for their third consecutive win in Atlanta.