Padres Starter Tosses Second No-Hitter in Franchise History

On Wednesday night, the San Diego Padres were on fire as they scored 12 runs on 20 hits during a 12-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. The next afternoon, Padres starter Dylan Cease could not be stopped on the mound, throwing the first no-hitter of his career, and the second no-hitter in San Diego’s franchise history in a 3-0 win. Back on April 9th, 2021, Joe Musgrove became the first Padres pitcher to throw a no-hitter, this was a 52-year wait for the franchise, and now the team has more history to add to that book. San Diego is now 55-50, trailing the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers by seven and a half games in the NL West.

The Padres scored all three runs during the first inning when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim knocked in a three-run single. Cease allowed three walks while striking out nine batters during his no-hit performance. Two years ago as a member of the Chicago White Sox, Cease carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins. Coincidentally enough, his current teammate Luis Arráez would break up the no-hitter against the 28-year-old starter. When right fielder Bryce Johnson delivered the final out, Arráez approached Johnson asking for the ball so he could deliver it to Cease. The 28-year-old starter threw 114 pitches to complete his no-hitter.

Through 22 starts, Cease has put up a 10-8 record. In 131 innings pitched, he’s recorded a 3.50 ERA and a .098 WHIP with 168 strikeouts. Over his past three starts, the 28-year-old starter has allowed just two hits while striking out 30 batters. Cease has certainly been one of if not the most efficient pitcher in Padres history. If he can continue to bring the heat on the mound, we could see San Diego have a considerable chance of contending with Los Angeles in the NL West division.