History to heartbreak: How A’s pitcher lost no-hitter and game in 9th inning
Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn will have a hard time forgetting his near triumph on Monday.
Ginn, 26, came within three outs of the record books. The right-hander took the mound in the ninth inning without allowing a hit to the Los Angeles Angels. He was three outs away from throwing the 327th known no-hitter in Major League Baseball history.
But the no-hitter went away three pitches into the inning when second baseman Adam Frazier lined a hanging slider into center field for the Angels’ first hit. For Ginn, the no-hitter was gone, but a shutout win was still on the table. The A’s were leading 1-0 and had a chance to end their losing streak after dropping consecutive games to the San Francisco Giants in West Sacramento over the weekend.
Next up for the Angels was shortstop Zach Neto, who took the third sinker he saw over the center field fence for a walk-off home run. Ginn’s no-hit bid and the A’s victory vanished in four pitches. Neto and his teammates celebrated at home plate in a game they had been on the verge of losing.
On the bright side, the A’s remained in first place in the American League West, albeit under .500 at 23-24 with the second-place Texas Rangers idle on Monday. The division remains winnable in the early going given it’s the only division in MLB where all teams currently have losing records.
The A’s could have helped Ginn with more run support. They went 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. Ginn had taken over as the A’s fifth starter in place of Luis Morales, who posted a 14.46 ERA in three appearances before being sent to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Ginn, who turns 27 on Wednesday, entered the season as a fringe major leaguer fighting to establish himself. He has pitched well, lowering his ERA to 2.98 in 11 games after Monday. His record dropped to 2-2 with the loss.
The two teams play again Tuesday in Anaheim with the A’s sending Jacob Lopez (3-2, 5.80 ERA) to the mound against fellow lefty Reid Detmers (1-4, 4.38).
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 6:44 AM.
