Cubs’ Arrieta tosses his second no-hitter in beating Reds, 16-0
CINCINNATI — Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs pitched his second no-hitter in a span of 11 regular-season starts, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds in a 16-0 rout Thursday night.
The reigning N.L. Cy Young winner threw the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season.
Arrieta (4-0) struck out six, walked four and allowed only six balls hit out of the infield. He threw 119 pitches, retiring Eugenio Suarez on a routine fly to right field to end it.
“It feels different the second time,” said Arrieta. “I was a little more relaxed as the game progressed.”
Arrieta threw his first career no-hitter last Aug. 30 at Dodger Stadium, beating Los Angeles 2-0.
Arrieta is among sev- eral pitchers in the last decade to pitch two nohitters. The 30-year-old righty is on the list with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum and Homer Bailey.
“I feel like I didn’t do a whole lot,” said David Ross, who caught his first no-hitter. “That animal was in control the whole time.”
Ken Holtzman is the only other Cubs pitcher to throw more than one nohitter in the modern era, doing it in 1969 and 1971.
Kris Bryant homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. Arrieta contributed a pair of singles and a walk.
The 16-run margin approached the most-lopsided victory in major league history. In 1884, Pud Galvin and Buffalo beat the Detroit Wolverines 180 in the National League, STATS said.
By Arrieta’s standards, it was a bit of a struggle. He walked three batters — he’d allowed only two walks in his first three starts combined — and needed 85 pitches to get through six innings.
After that, he dug in and made quick work of the Reds’ lineup.
The thousands of Cubs fans in the crowd of 16,497 were on their feet cheering as Arrieta walked Scott Schebler to open the ninth, got pinch-hitter Tucker Barnhart on a popup, Zack Cozart on a fly to center, and Suarez on a routine flyout.
In September 2014, Arrieta lost a no-hit bid against the Reds on Brandon Phillips’ one-out double in the eighth at Wrigley Field.