A wave of grumbling in the stands at Wrigley Field had swelled into a chorus of boos when right-handed reliever Nate Pearson finished his warm-up pitches before the eighth inning. Cubs fans had realized that left-hander Shota Imanaga would not get the chance to complete his no-hit attempt.
Only then did catcher Miguel Amaya, so focused on calling a dominant game, realize they had a no-hitter. Imanaga himself was unaware of this until he left the game.
“(Manager Craig Counsell) came to talk to me, and normally he looks happy when he tells me, ‘Good job,'” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “But he looked a little worried. And that’s how I found out what was going on, and that’s when I learned.”
By the last pitch, it was clear to everyone. And the fans’ cheers were louder than they had been a few innings before. In the 12-0 win over the Pirates, Imanaga, Pearson and Porter Hodge managed only the second joint no-hitter in franchise history (also on June 24, 2021 against the Dodgers).
It was the Cubs’ 18th no-hitter overall and their first at Wrigley since Milt Pappas’ no-no in 1972. Only one Cubs no-hitter had a larger margin (April 21, 2016, at the Reds, 16 runs).
“It’s a very special feeling to be part of Cubs history,” Amaya said. “…It’s a very special feeling to do it with these guys, and especially in front of these fans.”
Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel allowed eight walks and zero hits in the Cubs’ 4-0 win on Thursday.
Mills’ no-no is the Cubs’ first no-hitter since Jake Arrieta’s no-hit against the Cincinnati Reds on April 16, 2016
Jake Arrieta threw his second no-hitter on Thursday as the Cubs crushed the Reds 16-0 in Cincinnati.
We’ve seen a shift in the way combined no-hitters are accomplished, fitting into an era of fewer hits, more relievers, and greater attention to pitch count.
The Cubs offense took an early lead, scoring in every inning except the fourth and seventh. Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong were one triple short of the cycle—and Crow-Armstrong missed that triple by inches.
Imanaga was a hitter, pitching the minimum in all but two of his seven innings. He allowed two walks in the second inning and held his own in the sixth when third baseman Isaac Paredes committed two errors.
Pearson and Hodge watched Imanaga’s performance in the bullpen on television. At one point, Hodge turned and gave Pearson a knowing smile, assuming they were thinking the same thing. But he didn’t want to jinx the no-hitter by saying it out loud. As it turned out, Pearson was just as clueless as Imanaga. His first clue came when he was greeted with boos.
By the time Imanaga got through the seventh inning and recorded his seventh strikeout for the final out, he had already thrown 95 pitches.
“It’s always difficult in a situation like this,” Counsell said of substituting Imanaga, as he is primarily concerned with his seasonal workload. “But you look after Shota. It’s 100% about looking after Shota and making sure we do the right thing for him.”
Counsell and his coaching staff began organizing shift rotations for most of their regular players.
“They said, ‘Hey, you’re done,'” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ Like, ‘Think about it.’ I can’t say. ‘Think about it.'”
“I think at first they thought it was more about making a three-pointer. Man, I don’t know if I can run that far. It was more about defense.”
Swanson had been involved in a few near-misses before, but had never thrown a no-hitter.
Pearson retired all three batters he faced in the eighth inning. He said he told himself, “Just pump strikes, attack these guys, make your throws, go through one throw at a time, don’t overdo it.”
Then, in the ninth, Hodge forced Swanson into three consecutive groundouts, ending the game.
“I had mixed emotions waiting for the ball to finally get to the first baseman and make the last out,” Hodge said. “It’s just so nerve-wracking.”
First baseman Michael Busch squeezed his glove and Hodge spread his arms to hug Amaya, whose eyes filled with tears.
The Cubs placed Steele and Lopez on the 15-day IL on Wednesday.
Steele said he expects to start pitching again this season.
The 5-0 loss to the Pirates meant that the Cubs would lose the series.
