Blake Snell No-Hits Reds

 

Blake Snell pitched a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants in a 3-0 win to open the three-game weekend series.

Snell pitched the 18th no-hitter in Giants franchise history. The last was thrown by Chris Heston at the New York Mets on June 9, 2015, a 5-0 Giants win.

The Reds were no-hit last by Mike Fiers at Oakland on May 7, 2019 in a 2-0 game.

Snell was the Cy Young award winner in 2018 with Tampa Bay. He was 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA in 31 starts. Snell is the reigning Cy Young award winner, having won it last season off a 14-9 season with a 2.25 ERA in 32 starts.

Nick Martinez of the Reds was his teammate.

"I don't think it will be his only one. He was commanding the ball very well. It seemed like he didn't miss a spot all night. He has some electric stuff. When he's in the zone and locating his off speed pitch, he is very difficult to hit," Martinez said.  "Last year he had one into the seventh inning. I just remember a lot of punch outs. We talked about, when he went on a run, like in '22, he got a breaking ball for a strike, whether you swung or didn't swing, if in that at bat there was a breaking ball strike, you were striking out close to 100 percent of the time. He did that for months. He won a Cy Young in both leagues. He is beyond exceptional."

Reds' catcher Luke Maile played with Snell in the Tampa Bay organization. Snell was the Rays first draft pick in 2011 out of Shorewood High School in Seattle. Maile was picked by the Rays in the eighth round in 2012 out of the University of Kentucky,

"I played with him every year in the minors," Maile said.

Maile noticed the evolution of Snell being a prospect, turning into the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

"It was a time in my career, him and I were both trying to get to the big leagues," Maile said. "We were with the team that drafted us. Everything comes full circle. You remember a guy who had great stuff. You remember him using that type of sequence. What makes the big leagues cool is you can see how much sharper its gotten. You can see why all the work a guy like that has put in. You can see it manifest right in front of your eyes. You only see him once a year."

Only one ball was hit hard. Jeimer Candelario hit a line drive in the fifth inning with Tyler Stephenson on first base with a walk. Casey Schmidt caught the line drive and with a quick throw doubled Stephenson off first on a play close enough for the Reds to challenge. The call held up.

"You had the double play, that he got the line drive," Maile said. "That changed everything. Jeimer hit that ball hard but he got the out. It changed the entire nature of the game. I guess every great pitching performance you have a play or two that get you through it. He got that tonight."

The Giants got to Reds' sta rter Andrew Abbott with two outs in the second inning. Casey Schmitt hit his fourth home run of the season into the uppr deck in left field. It was the 21st home run allowed by Abbott this season. Marco Luciano followed with a single and cruised home on a double by Tyler Fitzgerald.

The Reds were trying to score against the Giant's left-hander, Snell.  Snell allowed just two runs in four starts in July on just eight hits. 

Fitzgerald hit his 10th home run in the seventh. It came against Nick Martinez.

Snell walked three three, but struck out 11. It was the first time in his career. He retired Elly De La Cruz on a fly out to center field on his 114th hit, 78 for strikes.

Maile and Martinez agreed they didn't like that it happened to the Reds but couldn't help but be happy for Snell.

"You don't want to be on the wrong side of it but good for him.  Congratulations to him on that. I'm not surprised. He has incredible stuff," Martinez said.

"He's the same guy. It's all the same stuff that I remember. It is just so much sharper. Just coming up with him and seeing what a top prospect he was and just seeing him make it so to speak. I don't like it when he does it to us, obviously. There is a part of this game where you have relationships with guys. Just because you're wearing different uniforms it doesn't mean you're not happy for him.," Maile said. "He had such a special arsenal that's unique to him. He's always had that durability even at a young age. He was just as strong in the sixth or seventh."