On the 66th anniversary of Sandy Koufax‘s MLB debut, the Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff threw its first ever combined no-hitter in franchise history at Dodger Stadium. The final out of Thursday night’s 4-0 Cubs win was recorded by closer Craig Kimbrel. For the MLB’s active saves leader, making history wasn’t on his mind. In fact, he was not even aware his team had no-hit the Dodgers up until that point.
“I had no clue when I came into the game that we had a no-hitter,” Kimbrel said, per MLB.com.
Cubs starting hurler Zach Davies pitched the first six innings, and was followed by Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Kimbrel. The four pitchers combined to walk eight batters in the no-hit effort.
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History Made Against Scuffling Dodgers
Chicago’s ability to no-hit Los Angeles was the top headline seen around the baseball world on Friday morning. However, the “North Siders” made history on multiple fronts Thursday night. With the victory, the Cubs became the first team in MLB history to throw multiple no-hitters at Dodger Stadium. In the summer of 2015, Jake Arrieta accomplished the feat on his own.
The 4-0 lead in the ninth inning didn’t stop Cubs manager David Ross from feeling as anxious as he’s ever felt as a skipper.
“When you have that confidence in how these guys have been throwing, obviously that’s a huge deal… You feel really secure about a four-run lead, and then you get to the ninth and I don’t know if I’ve been as nervous in a long time with a 4-0 lead and two outs with Craig Kimbrel on the mound.” -David Ross
Los Angeles was not only no-hit on Thursday night, but the Dodgers were also handed their fourth-straight loss. They left Petco Park in San Diego with no wins in three tries. LA has now fallen into a tie for second place in the NL West with the Padres.
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Injuries plague multiple big-league teams each and every year. The 2021 Dodgers can make the case that they have been hit the hardest. Still without star shortstop Corey Seager, Los Angeles has been forced to play the ultimate utility game with a lot of their position players. Despite that, 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger returned from his second stint on the IL Wednesday night.
The Dodgers and Cubs will conclude the four-game set over the weekend, with the finale of the series scheduled for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
Year of the No-Hitter?
The Cubs’ combined no-hitter against Los Angeles marks the seventh clean hit column in 2021. That ties the modern-era record for no-no’s in a season. However, in 1884 eight no-hitters were thrown in the MLB during a time that predates the “modern” classification. What makes Chicago’s feat on Thursday so notable is that baseball has tied the modern record prior to the All-Star break. The odds are weighing in the favor of 2021 to be the year where the no-hit record is broken.
Along with becoming one of the seven successful no-hit bids this season, the Cubs’ accomplishment is the first combined effort in 2021. It is the first since the Houston Astros accomplished the feat in 2019.
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