Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta is no stranger to flirting with no-hitters, losing two in the eighth inning last season. On Sunday night, he finished the job, holding the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless in a 2-0 victory.
Arrieta struck out 12 at Dodger Stadium, including the final three batters of the night. The lone blemish on his pitching line was a walk to Jimmy Rollins in the bottom of the sixth. Second baseman Starlin Castro had previously committed an error in the bottom of the third that wiped out any shot of a perfect game, though.
The only support for Arrieta came from a two-run home run by Kris Bryant in the top of the first inning. The Cubs picked up 13 hits but left 12 runners on base. Futility like that can often lead to defeat for teams, but it proved inconsequential Sunday night with the Dodgers unable to figure out Arrieta.
It was the first no-hitter from a Cubs pitcher since September 2008, when Carlos Zambrano pulled off the feat against the Houston Astros.
Coincidentally, CSN Chicago's Patrick Mooney asked Arrieta before the season about whether he could turn his no-hitter luck around in 2015. Here's how he replied, unaware of how prophetic his words would prove to be:
That's a tough thing to say, but I feel like I'll be able to put myself in those situations. It's so hard to control anything else that happens outside of you executing a pitch. And it's just such a rare thing to have happen. You make nasty pitches and a guy bleeds one over the first baseman or second baseman. So a lot of things have to go your way, but I think I'll have an opportunity.
Not only did Arrieta bring his best stuff, but he also got some timely defense, such as this stab from Castro in the seventh inning, per the Cubs' official Twitter account:
With Dodgers manager Don Mattingly throwing seven left-handed batters (including switch-hitters) into his starting lineup, Arrieta's ability to count on his slider was immense, per Bleacher Report's Scott Miller:
The movement on this pitch, shared on Twitter by the Cubs, was unreal:
And Arrieta eliminated any doubt over whether he had enough left in the tank to complete the no-hitter when he threw a 95 mph sinker to Enrique Hernandez, which induced an inning-ending groundout in the eighth.
This is the second time in a little over a week that the Dodgers have been no-hit, as Houston Astros starter Mike Fiers stymied the Los Angeles lineup Aug. 21. According to MLB.com's Mike Petriello, that sets a new benchmark in the National League:
The 1923 Philadelphia Athletics were the last team no-hit in a shorter span of days, per ESPN Stats & Info. ESPN's Jayson Stark also pointed to this unfortunate statistic for Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley:
Jonathan (Nathan) Bernhardt of Baltimore Sports and Life used the occasion to highlight how crazy Arrieta's career renaissance in Chicago has been:
As Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan noted, the Baltimore Orioles look more and more foolish with each passing year for letting Arrieta go for next to nothing:
ESPN's Buster Olney provided some insight on why the 29-year-old looks like a completely different pitcher:
Dodgers third base coach Ron Roenicke spoke about Arrieta's progression ahead of Sunday's game, and his assessment proved prescient.
"He can get there," Roenicke said about the right-hander becoming one of the game's best pitchers, per ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers. "His stuff is that good. I've seen the command get better and better from him. First time we saw him, great stuff but the command wasn't there. If you can command that stuff, you're going to be one of the elite pitchers."
It would be incorrect to say Arrieta's no-no proves he deserves to be mentioned with the top arms in baseball; his numbers from the last two years should've proved that already. Petriello drove that point home:
If anything, this accomplishment further illustrates how dominant Arrieta can be when everything is clicking. It will also come in handy at the negotiating table for Arrieta when he and the Cubs hash out terms on a salary for next season in arbitration.
With the Cubs more than likely to make the postseason—they have 88.1 percent playoff odds, according to Baseball Prospectus—a pitcher like Arrieta can be an invaluable resource. Between him and Jon Lester, Chicago has a phenomenal one-two punch at the top of its rotation.
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