CINCINNATI (AP) — Jake Arrieta pitched his second no-hitter in a span of 11 regular-season starts for the Chicago Cubs, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds in a 16-0 rout Thursday night.
The reigning NL Cy Young winner threw the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season.
Arrieta (4-0) struck out six, walked four and allowed only six balls hit out of the infield. He threw 119 pitches, retiring Eugenio Suarez on a routine fly to right field to end it.
Arrieta threw his first career no-hitter last Aug. 30 at Dodger Stadium, beating Los Angeles 2-0. That gem came as Arrieta put together one of the best pitching stretches in club history.
The Reds hadn’t been held hitless in a regular-season game since 1971, when Rick Wise did it for Philadelphia at Riverfront Stadium. In the 2010 NL playoffs, Roy Halladay of the Phillies pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati.
Arrieta is among several pitchers in the last decade to pitch two no-hitters. The 30-year-old righty is on the list with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum and Homer Bailey, who threw the only other no-hitter at Great American Ball Park on July 2, 2013 against the Giants.
Arrieta is the first Cubs pitcher to win his first four starts in a season since Greg Maddux went 5-0 in 2006.
Kris Bryant homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs.