Giants break up Blue Jays ace’s no-hit bid, averting history at home ballpark
Toronto Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease had been on the precipice of a no-hitter multiple times before.
On July 25, 2024, Cease tossed a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals, the third-most recent no-no in Major League Baseball.
But with Luis Arraez due up second Wednesday afternoon, a different close call may have flashed into Cease’s head. With one out to go in a no-hit bid on Sept. 3, 2022, Arraez singled off Cease to end his bid at history.
On Wednesday afternoon, Arraez didn’t get the chance, as Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, ending Cease’s no-hit try and bringing out former Giants reliever Tyler Rogers to finish out the 10-0 Blue Jays win.
Had the Giants been no-hit, it would have made history beyond being the 328th ever MLB no-hitter in; it also would’ve been the first time the Giants have been no-hit at Oracle Park, which has been their home since 2000 (then called Pacific Bell Park) after departing Candlestick Park.
Completing the no-hitter also would have made Cease the 37th pitcher ever to throw multiple no-nos. It additionally would have been MLB’s first solo no-hitter since Blake Snell threw one for the Giants on Aug. 2, 2024, the second in Blue Jays history and the second of the 2026 season after three Houston Astros pitchers combined for one May 25.
The Giants have been on the winning end of three no-hitters at Oracle Park: one thrown by Jonathan Sanchez in 2009, Matt Cain’s perfect game in 2012 and the second of Tim Lincecum’s career in 2014.
Last season saw zero MLB no-hitters, either combined or solo.
What happened in Cease’s no-hit bid?
Though the Giants escaped without making the bad kind of team history, the loss was still brutal through and through.
In his eight innings of work, Cease, a 2026 All-Star, struck out 11 Giants and surrendered three baserunners via walks before the hit. Rogers then came in and only needed four pitches to retire the No. 2-4 hitters in the Giants lineup in order.
Cease threw 118 pitches overall Wednesday, 81 for strikes, and appeared likely to stay in as long as a hit wasn’t surrendered. With no outs in the eighth inning, and Cease already more than 100 pitches in, Giants rookie slugger Bryce Eldridge launched a fly ball to deep center field that was saved by a leaping play from Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho to keep his ace’s dream alive a bit longer.
It is becoming rarer to see managers allow their pitchers to go for milestones like no-hitters, especially when their pitch counts are high. On Sunday, Miami Marlins starter Eury Perez was pulled after seven perfect innings against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. A’s pitchers prompt broke up both the perfect game and no-hit bids in the eighth inning.
On the other side, Giants ace Logan Webb, a Rocklin native, gave up five first-inning runs to put the team in an early hole, which the Blue Jays built on by scoring another five over the last two innings off two San Francisco relievers.
It was the second straight start Webb surrendered at least five runs after a dominant June pushed his earned run average well below 3.00. He now sports a 3.86 ERA after throwing seven innings of five-run ball with just two strikeouts on Wednesday.
The loss also dropped the Giants to 38-54, 12 games out of a Wild Card spot with less than a week to go before the All-Star break.
