No hits, no problem! Bucs top Reds anyway
PITTSBURGH — Reds starter Hunter Greene and reliever Art Warren combined to allow zero hits in a complete game, but it didn’t count as a no-hitter — or even a win — because the Pirates eked out a run in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 1-0 victory Sunday.
Ke’Bryan Hayes’ RBI grounder helped the Pirates become the sixth team in big-league history since 1901 to win despite not getting any hits. It last happened in 2008 when Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo of the Angels lost while holding the Dodgers hitless.
By Major League Baseball record-keeping rules, Cincinnati’s accomplishment isn’t an official no-hitter because its pitchers didn’t go at least nine innings. And in a season in which most everything has gone wrong for the Reds, this surely had to be the topper.
Greene (1-6), the prized Reds rookie, struck out nine and was pulled after one-out walks in the eighth to Rodolfo Castro and Michael Perez. Greene threw 118 pitches, the most by any pitcher in the majors this year.
Warren relieved and walked Ben
Gamel to load the bases. Ke’Bryan Hayes followed with a grounder to second baseman Alejo Lopez, who bobbled the ball before throwing to shortstop Matt Reynolds for one out. Reynolds’ relay was a fraction of a second late to get the speedy Hayes at first base.
Cincinnati batters went down in order in the ninth and that was it at PNC Park — no celebration for the Reds, who have the worst record in the majors.
“I mean, to not even get in a hit in a game and to get a win, I’m sure that hasn’t happened a lot since baseball’s been going on,” Hayes said.
There have been two no-hitters in the majors this season. Angels rookie Reid Detmers pitched one last Tuesday against Tampa Bay, and five Mets pitchers combined to hold Philadelphia hitless last week.
Also, Tampa Bay pitchers combined to hold Boston hitless into the 10th inning last month and wound up winning, 3-2. That wasn’t an official no-hitter, either, because the Rays didn’t throw a complete game without giving up a hit.
The second overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft, Greene suffered an injury in 2018 that required Tommy John surgery in 2019. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he didn’t return to minor-league play until 2021. He made the Reds’ roster for the first time coming out of spring training this year.
In his second start of the season, he set an MLB record with 39 pitches over 100 mph, but carried a 7.62 ERA into Sunday’s game thanks in part to a majors-leading 11 home runs this season. He has also allowed 15 walks in 26 innings.