Arrêté is French for stop, and that’s what Jake Arrieta did to the Reds on Thursday, holding Cincinnati hitless as the Cubs pounded their opponent by a 16-0 count. It’s the first no-hitter of the new season, the second of Arietta’s career, and his second in eleven regular season starts. The win pushes Arrieta’s record to a perfect 4-0 in four starts this season, with a microscopic 0.87 ERA.
More on Arrieta’s gem after the break.
This no-hitter was in in the category of a workmanlike effort (if that makes any sense) with a modest total of six strikeouts and a slightly immodest four walks. Arrieta recorded strikes on less than 60% of his pitches, only the thirteenth such no-hitter since pitch and strike counts were consistently recorded starting in 1988. Arrieta’s 89 game score is the lowest in a no-hit game since Francisco Liriano blanked the White Sox almost five years ago.
This no-hitter was the eleventh in Chicago history since the 60’6″ pitching distance was established starting in 1893. Arrieta’s no-hitters in consecutive seasons is a first for a Cub pitcher, and the first time for the team since 1972, when Milt Pappas (who just died, aged 75) and Burt Hooton followed Ken Holtzman‘s second no-no in 1971. Arrieta now joins Holtzman as the only Cubs with a pair of no-hit games.
The Cubs put up a 3-spot in the ninth inning to make this game the most lopsided no-hitter in the post-1893 era, eclipsing the 13-0 rout when the Yankees’ Monte Pearson blanked Cleveland on Aug 27, 1938. Arrieta joined his teammates in the carnage, contributing a couple of hits to his own cause. This is just the seventh time since 1913 that the Reds have been no-hit and the first since suffering that indignity twice in month of June 1971. Curiously, all but one of those no-hit games were played in Cincinnati.
Arrieta now runs his streak of consecutive quality starts (6+ IP, 3 or fewer ER) to 24, tied with Walter Johnson in 1914-15 for the third longest searchable streak. Just ahead are Eddie Cicotte with 25 games in 1916-17 and Bob Gibson with 26 in 1967-68.