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Arrieta Twirls a No Hitter Against Finny and the Reds

Jake no hit the Reds, bested Brandon Finnegan, and had two hits on a special night in Cincinnati.

By Melissa B. Triebwasser
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Arrieta has done it again. The former Frog ace has picked up right where he left off after his Cy Young season a year ago for the Chicago Cubs, and shined especially bright Thursday night in throwing a no hitter, the second of his career. Notably, Arrieta has not lost since before his last no-hitter, on August 30th of last year against Pittsburg.

The Cubs provided plenty of run support for Jake, scoring 16 runs on 18 hits. Arrieta did his part at the plate as well, going two for four with a walk and a run scored. But it was his work on the mound that of course stood out most. Jake struck out six, walked only four, and faced only 29 batters. He was brilliant, befuddling the Reds with a an electric mix of pitches and having only one play be anything even close to a hit. Jake even struck out Finny in their one head to head matchup. Arrieta is the fourth reigning Cy Young winner to throw a no hitter the following season, joining guys like Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Clayton Kershaw.

4-0 on the season, sporting 0.87 ERA with 26 strikeouts and a .69 WHIP, Jake is making an early bid for a second consecutive Cy Young at this early point of the season. He also tied the Cubs record for consecutive wins for a starting pitcher, with 17 straight victories.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs' ace induced three pop ups after allowing a lead off walk, including the final out of the ballgame:

The TCU grad had the attention from the #FrogFam throughout the game, as former teammates, coaches, and fans followed along.

Even former no-hitter victims got in on the fun:

The scary thing for future opponents? Arrieta said post game that he had a very sloppy pregame bullpen and struggled with his control all night. You've been warned, MLB. He also pointed out that his catcher, David Ross - who has already said he is going to retire at the end of the season - got to catch his first no-hitter, and how special that was to share with him. He also managed to work in a "that's the way baseball go" during his post-game presser.

Congratulations to one of the best pitchers in baseball, and a favorite son of Frog Nation!

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