Blake Snell Throws No-Hitter in Ninth Inning Debut, Makes History
Blake Snell Makes History with No-Hitter in Ninth Inning Debut For all his achievements—two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star selection—Blake Snell had one notable milestone missing from his resume: a complete game. Before Friday’s game, Snell had never pitched a full eight innings in his nine-year Major League Baseball career, let alone a complete game. This shortcoming had bothered him, prompting a personal vow to finally achieve it this season.
“There’s been a lot of talk about him not going deep into games,” said catcher Patrick Bailey. “We joked about it recently, saying, ‘We’re going to go nine shutout innings together.’ Someone even suggested, ‘Why not throw a no-hitter?’”
On Friday night, Snell made that joke a reality. In a commanding performance, he delivered the 18th no-hitter in Giants history during a 3-0 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
“They can’t say it anymore,” Snell declared after the game. “Complete game, shutout, no-hitter. I’ve finally done it. Leave me alone about not pitching into the 9th or 8th innings. I’ve proven it.”
Snell’s no-hitter was the first by a Giants pitcher since Chris Heston’s against the Mets on June 9, 2015. It also marked the third no-hitter of the MLB season, following Dylan Cease’s performance for the Padres on July 25 and Ronel Blanco’s for the Astros on April 1.
Manager Bob Melvin expressed his excitement, saying, “That’s as nervous as I’ve been in a long time. If anyone has the stuff to throw a no-hitter, it’s Blake Snell. It finally happened. He pitched nine innings of no-hit ball. It’s a remarkable achievement for him.”
Snell, who took the mound after a one-hour rain delay, was sharp from the start, striking out the side in the first inning on just 11 pitches. He continued to dominate, accumulating 11 strikeouts and allowing only three baserunners through walks.
“He was exceptional,” Reds manager David Bell noted. “We tried to prepare for him and get ahead, but he had great stuff and pitched an incredible game.”
Although Snell had previously thrown seven no-hit innings on two occasions—against the Diamondbacks on August 31, 2021, and the Rockies on September 19, 2023—he had never reached the ninth inning until this game. With 108 pitches already thrown, there was little doubt he would complete the game.
“I wasn’t going to say much to him,” Melvin said. “He was a bit fatigued, and he’d never pitched into the ninth before. But sometimes, it feels like destiny, especially with the way he was throwing.”
Fueled by adrenaline, Snell finished strong, striking out Santiago Espinal, inducing a weak comebacker from Jonathan India, and getting a lineout from Elly De La Cruz for the final out. Mike Yastrzemski, who had entered as a defensive replacement, made the game-ending catch, and the team mobbed Snell in celebration.
Snell’s fastball-curveball combination yielded 21 swinging strikes, and he took pride in making a key defensive play as well.
“The fielding practice really paid off,” Snell said. “I made a good throw for the out.”
Tyler Fitzgerald contributed with a solo home run and an RBI double, while Casey Schmitt also went deep to support Snell. Since returning from the injured list, Snell boasts a stellar 0.54 ERA (two earned runs over 33 innings) in five starts.
“This was the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Fitzgerald said. “He was unhittable.”
With back-to-back shutouts from Snell and Logan Webb (who shut out the A’s on Wednesday), the Giants have received consecutive dominant pitching performances for the first time since August 19-20, 2002. The team is now just one game under .500 (55-56) after winning six of their last seven games, justifying the decision to keep Snell at the trade deadline and rely on their strong pitching for the remainder of the season.
Fitzgerald concluded, “With back-to-back shutouts from Webby and Snell, we feel we have something special. It’s all about supporting our pitchers with runs and defense. If we do that, we can make a strong run.”
