Cubs combine on record-tying 7th no-hitter of MLB season

June 25, 2021 GMT
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The Chicago Cubs celebrate a combined no-hitter after the final out by relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, second from right, after a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Thursday, June 24, 2021. The Cubs won 4-0. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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The Chicago Cubs celebrate a combined no-hitter after the final out by relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, second from right, after a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Thursday, June 24, 2021. The Cubs won 4-0. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zach Davies and three Chicago Cubs relievers combined for the seventh no-hitter in the majors this year, blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 Thursday night and tying the record for most in a single baseball season since 1900.

The Dodgers drew eight walks, getting at least one from each Cubs pitcher, but managed no other baserunners.

Davies (5-4) issued five walks and used 94 pitches to get through six innings against the defending World Series champions in the 16th start of his first season with the Cubs.

Ryan Tepera and Andrew Chafin each went one inning. Craig Kimbrel then walked Chris Taylor leading off the ninth, but the closer struck out Cody Bellinger, Albert Pujols and pinch-hitter Will Smith to finish the 17th no-hitter in Cubs history — the team’s first combined effort.

Javier Báez homered in the first inning and Willson Contreras added a two-run shot in the sixth for the Cubs, who happily celebrated the franchise’s first no-hitter since last Sept. 13, when Alec Mills blanked Milwaukee.

The seventh no-hitter of the year matched 1990, 1991, 2012 and 2015 for the most in a single season since 1900. That’s one shy of the record eight in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed.

Walker Buehler (7-1) hadn’t lost in 23 straight regular-season starts. He took his first defeat since Sept. 21, 2019, ending his streak of 30 consecutive games overall without a loss.

YANKEES 8, ROYALS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the first of his three hits, Gary Sánchez connected for the second straight game and New York beat Kansas City for its first blowout victory in a month.

Judge hit a solo shot in the first, Luke Voit had another in the third off Brad Keller (6-8) and Sánchez blew open the game with a three-run drive in the sixth.

Jameson Taillon (2-4) ended an eight-start winless streak, allowing a run, five hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.

New York has won seven of nine.

RAYS 1, RED SOX 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Kiermaier broke up a combined no-hit bid by Boston with a one-out double in the eighth inning and Manuel Margot scored on a wild pitch in the ninth for Tampa Bay.

Margot got Tampa Bay’s second hit, a two-out single in the ninth off Matt Barnes (3-2). He stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Christian Vázquez.

J.P. Feyereisen (4-1) worked the ninth inning of a four-hitter.

Boston dropped a half-game behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Kiermaier lined his opposite-field double off Darwinzon Hernández, the third Red Sox pitcher. The Gold Glove center fielder also threw out a runner at the plate in the seventh.

Boston starter Nick Pivetta was pulled with a runner on second and two outs in the seventh after throwing 100 pitches. Josh Taylor got the final out of the inning before giving way to Hernández.

Pivetta finished with eight strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter.

Boston was trying to throw the seventh no-hitter in the majors this season. That would have matched 1990, 1991, 2012 and 2015 for the most since 1900, one shy of the record eight in 1884 — the first season overhand pitching was allowed.

ASTROS 12, TIGERS 3

DETROIT (AP) — Carlos Correa got three hits, walked twice and drove in three runs, helping Houston beat Detroit to extend its winning streak to 11.

Houston’s streak is one shy of the team record, set in 1999 and matched in 2004 and 2018. The Astros have outscored opponents 91-24 during the winning run.

The Astros loaded the bases in six innings, including each one from the second through the sixth. They scored twice in each inning from the second through the fifth, and finished with 18 hits, six walks and 28 baserunners.

Luis García (6-4) won his fourth straight start, allowing two runs in six innings.

José Ureña (2-8) retired the side on five pitches in the first inning but threw 77 more without getting out of the fourth. He allowed six runs — four earned — and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 3

MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, raising his season total to 21 by hitting 12 in his past 13 games, and Washington beat Miami for its 10th win in 11 games.

Schwarber connected off Cody Poteet (2-3) for his fifth leadoff home run this season. Josh Harrison singled in the second, Victor Robles walked and Schwarber sent an 0-2 fastball over the wall in center for a 4-0 lead.

Schwarber became the first player in major league history to homer 11 times in a 13-game span from the No. 1 slot in the batting order, according to STATS. He became the fourth player with eight home runs and 15 RBIs in a five-game span, joining Shawn Green, Manny Ramirez and Frank Howard.

Juan Soto added the first of his two RBI doubles later in the inning.

Joe Ross (4-7) allowed four hits in seven scoreless inning, helping the Nationals extend their winning streak to five.

Miami has lost four straight, scoring five runs during the slide. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a three-run homer in the eighth.

BLUE JAYS 9, ORIOLES 0

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit his first grand slam in a six-run first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took over sole possession of the major league home run lead with his 24th and Toronto extended Baltimore’s road losing streak to 20 games.

Baltimore tied the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics for the second-longest road skid in AL history, trailing only the 22 losses in a row by the 1943 A’s. The Orioles are an AL-worst 23-52, including 11-26 away from home.

The Orioles have lost 14 of 15 overall. Combined with Wednesday’s 13-0 defeat to Houston, the franchise has been shut out in consecutive losses of at least nine runs for the first time since the St. Louis Browns were swept in a doubleheader 12-0 and 14-0 at Detroit on Sept. 22, 1936.

Toronto has won a season-high five straight, following a five-game losing streak.

Anthony Kay (1-2) and four relievers combined on a seven-hitter. Kay allowed five hits in five innings and matched his career high with eight strikeouts. His first seven outs were on strikeouts.

Dean Kremer (0-7) gave up six runs, two hits and a career-high five walks while getting just one out.

PIRATES 8, CARDINALS 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bryan Reynolds had a three-run homer among his three hits, Chad Kuhl pitched six strong innings and Pittsburgh snapped a nine-game losing streak against St. Louis.

Adam Frazier and Phillip Evans also homered in Pittsburgh’s first win over the Cardinals since Sept. 18, 2020.

Kuhl (2-4) allowed one run and three hits in six innings.

St. Louis has lost four in a row and 15 of its last 20 since June 2.

Carlos Martínez (3-9) allowed five runs and five hits with seven walks, including one intentional, in five innings.

ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Chris Bassitt (8-2) won his eighth consecutive decision, allowing five singles in seven innings for a series split.

Jed Lowrie drove in runs with a single and a no-doubt home run.

Lowrie’s RBI single in the first was already the fourth hit for the A’s, and put them up 3-0 against left-hander Kolby Allard (2-3). Ramón Laureano had an RBI double and another run scored on a groundout.

INDIANS 4, TWINS 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eddie Rosario broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run single and Cleveland defeated Minnesota.

Rosario, who spent six seasons with the Twins, was playing his first game in Minnesota since he signed with Cleveland in the offseason.

Austin Hedges and Cesar Hernandez started the eighth with singles off reliever Jorge Alcala (1-2). With runners at the corners and one out, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli elected to intentionally walk Jose Ramirez, the Indians’ home run and RBI leader, to fill the bases.

Eddie Rosario then lined Taylor Rogers’ first pitch into center field to put Cleveland on top 3–1. Another run scored on Bobby Bradley’s RBI groundout.

Blake Parker (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Brian Shaw pitched a perfect eighth and James Karinchak picked up his ninth save.

REDS 5, BRAVES 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tony Santillan allowed one run in six innings to earn his first major league win and Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer to lift Cincinnati over Atlanta.

Santillan (1-1) gave up three hits, struck out eight and walked three in his third big league start. He also doubled in the third inning for his first career hit. Brad Brach, the Reds’ fourth pitcher, got three outs for his first save of the season.

Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies homered for the Braves. It was a bullpen day for Atlanta, which summoned 37-year-old Jesse Chavez (0-1) from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his 482nd major league appearance and first start since 2019. He allowed two runs in 2 1/3 innings.

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