Lucas Giolito records first no-hitter of 2020

Lucas Giolito (Ian D'Andrea, Wikimedia Commons)

Lucas Giolito of Santa Monica, California, recorded the first no-hitter of the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season on Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander accomplished the feat in a 4-0 Chicago White Sox win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Giolito had 101 pitches on Tuesday, and 74 strikes. He had 13 strikeouts and only one walk. The only Pirates base runner was shortstop Erik Gonzalez of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, who led off the fourth inning with a base on ball.

Giolito’s 13 strikeouts were the most by a White Sox pitcher during a no-hitter in franchise history. It is also the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers have more no-hitters, as they have 23.

This was the ninth no-hitter in Interleague Play. The previous pitchers to record a no-hitter in interleague action were David Cone of the New York Yankees (1999), Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers (2007), Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks (2010), Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins (2013), Mike Fiers of the Houston Astros (2015), and Fiers again with the Oakland Athletics in 2019. As a team, the Houston Astros had a no-hitter in interleague action in 2003, and the Seattle Mariners accomplished the feat in 2012.

Giolito has been outstanding as of late. This was the second straight game where he had 13 strikeouts. He accomplished the feat on August 20, in a 9-0 White Sox win over the Detroit Tigers. In that game, Giolito pitched seven shutout innings.

This was Giolito’s third career complete game shutout. He blanked the Astros in a 4-0 win on May 23, 2019, and then shutout the Minnesota Twins 4-0 on August 21, 2019.

In 2020, Giolito has a record of three wins and two losses, for an earned run average of 3.09 and a WHIP of 1.01. In 43 2/3 innings, he has given up 27 hits, 15 earned runs and 17 walks, to go along with 58 strikeouts.

The White Sox are currently at 18 wins and 12 losses. They are tied for second place with the Cleveland Indians and a game and a half back of the division leading Twins in the American League Central. The Pirates have the worst record in Major League Baseball at seven wins and 18 losses.

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