‘That was awesome’: Dylan Cease pitches second no-hitter in Padres history
Dylan Cease led the Washington Nationals for nine innings, pitching the second no-hitter in San Diego Padres history, winning the game 3-0 on Thursday to complete their three-game winning streak.
After falling one out short of a no-hitter two years ago when he gave up a single to current teammate Luis Arráez, Cease Ildemaro grounded out Vargas and Jacob Young for the first two outs of the ninth inning, then let CJ Abrams fly out to right field on a 1-0 slider.
Cease (10-8) struck out nine and walked three in the 28-year-old right-handed pitcher’s third complete game in 145 major-league starts. He threw a career-high 114 pitches in a game that included a 1-hour, 16-minute rain delay in the first inning.
Joe Musgrove threw the Padres’ first no-hitter against Texas on April 9, 2021. Houston’s Ronel Blanco threw the only other no-hitter this season, against Toronto on April 1.
Cease was just one out away from a no-hitter for the Chicago White Sox against Minnesota in 2022 when Arráez singled to right-center on a 1-1 slider over the middle of the strike zone.
“I think I had a little flashback there: make me turn the slider down a little bit,” Cease said. “Man, it looked like a bloop hit right away. I saw him stay up. Just screaming and yelling. That was awesome.”
Cease’s pitch count was 94 after the seventh inning. He lobbied manager Mike Shildt to keep him in the game.
“He said good job. And I looked up and it was 94 pitches. I just said, ‘I feel great.’ And if we get the next one in 105. I threw 113 this year,” Cease recalled. “Luckily, they let me talk him into it. And then we got there.”
The closest Washington came to a hit was when Juan Yepez hit a fly to shallow center in the fifth inning. The ball jumped out of second baseman Xander Bogaerts’ glove, but center fielder Jackson Merrill was there to catch it before it hit the ground.
Bogaerts also had a ball go off the rail after diving to stop a ground ball from Keibert Ruiz with one out in the eighth inning, but he recovered in time to throw out the slow catcher at first base.
Cease threw 60 sliders against the Nationals, along with 39 fastballs averaging 98.3 mph (1.4 mph above his season average) and 10 knuckle curves.
His previous complete games were also shutouts: a seven-inning three-hitter against Detroit on April 29, 2021, and the win over the Twins.
San Diego has won five in a row and notched its third series sweep of the season and first away. The Padres swept Oakland and Washington at home last month.
Washington was blown out for the sixth time this season, finishing 0-6 against San Diego. It was the first time the Padres had gone undefeated against the Nationals/Montreal Expos franchise since both teams joined the National League in 1969.
San Diego loaded the bases in the first inning with a single and two walks against Patrick Corbin (2-10) before the game was halted with Ha-Seong Kim at bat. When the game resumed, Kim worked a full count before hitting a single to left-center field, scoring all three runners.