Lucas Giolito etched his name in the history books when the Chicago White Sox pitcher threw a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He faced 28 batters and threw 101 pitches while waking just one batter and adding a career-high 13 strikeouts.
The surging Chicago White (18-12) are one of the best stories of the pandemic-shortened season. Over the weekend, Giolito’s teammate Jose Abreu tied an MLB record by hitting six home runs in a three-game series. Two days later, Giolito tosses the no-no.
“It was definitely harder in the ninth inning, but we stayed with it,” said Giolito.
The White Sox shut down the worst team in baseball. The seven-win Pirates are the doormat of the NL Central.
This also marks the first no-hitter of the MLB season, which is reaching its halfway mark of the 60-game season. The no-no occurred in an empty Guaranteed Rate Field without any fans in attendance to witness a piece of baseball history.
According to a recent update by the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the Chicago White Sox are 20/1 odds to win the World Series.
History! pic.twitter.com/FLdFzeFTcy
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 26, 2020
101 Pitches to Near-Perfection
Giolito, 26, became the 19th pitcher in White Sox franchise history to throw a no-hitter. Philip Humber tossed the last no-hitter for the White Sox when he pitched a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners in 2012.
“It was just staying with the same mental routine for every single pitch, one pitch at a time,” said Giolito. “Full focus, full execution, straight through the target. I knew it was working after the first inning, a nice 1-2-3 inning. It kept building and building.”
“I don’t have any words. I want to cry,” said White Sox manager Rick Renteria.
“That’s something that so many guys will never experience, and he got to experience it,” said teammate Adam Engel, who caught the last out. “I can’t say enough good things about Lucas on and off the field. What a hard worker he is and a competitor he is. It’s just something really special to see.”
“I’m really happy for him,” added Renteria. “James McCann did a great job catching. Some plays that were made out there. They all did a great job.”
Giolito improved to 3-2 this season with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He began his career in the Washington Nationals organization and moved over to the White Sox in 2017. By 2018, Giolito earned a spot in the rotation with a 10-13 record.
Last season, Giolito became the first pitcher to win 10 games and earned a spot on the All-Star team. He finished the 2019 season with a 14-9 record, plus a 3.41 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
Relive the final ninth inning and the final three outs in Giolito’s no-no courtesy of MLB’s YouTube channel.
Did You Know? The LSD No-Hitter
Doc Ellis, a former pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, threw a no-hitter under the influence of LSD in 1970.
Psychedelic aficionados and baseball junkies alike recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Ellis’ electric-sunshine induced no-hitter.
