Padres’ Dylan Cease no-hits Nationals in 3-0 win

San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease no-hit the Washington Nationals in a 3-0 victory on Thursday.

Cease struck out nine Nationals and walked three, throwing 114 total pitches. The feat came behind an early Padres offensive effort, as Ha-Seong Kim hit a three-run RBI single in the first inning. It was the Padres’ fifth consecutive win, completing a sweep of the Nationals.

This is the second no-hitter this season and the second in Padres history (Joe Musgrove threw the first in 2021). Astros spot starter Ronel Blanco threw the first no-no of 2024 in early April.

A few weeks before this season started, the 28-year-old Cease was traded to the Padres by the Chicago White Sox. Going into Thursday’s matchup, Cease had a 9-8 record with a 3.59 ERA in 128 innings this season for a San Diego team that’s 7.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and currently holds the third NL wild card.

While Cease struggled in 2023, his 2022 season was a stunner. He finished second in AL Cy Young voting that year after posting a 2.20 ERA in 184 innings pitched.

Cease told MLB Network that he had to lobby manager Mike Shildt to stay in the game after the seventh inning, when he reached the 94-pitch count. He got the final six outs on 20 pitches. Those outs came via four groundouts, one strikeout and a flyout to end the game.

“I’ve thrown 113 pitches this year. Thankfully they let me talk him into it, and here we are.”

After lobbying to stay in the game after the 7th inning, Dylan Cease needed one more pitch (114) than his season-high to finish the no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/808Sx3XQxG

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2024