There was little left in doubt as the Cubs dismantled the Reds 16-0 at Great American Ball Park on Thursday night. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo combined for three homers in the rout of their division rival, but the story of the night came on the mound as starter Jake Arrieta dazzled the Reds’ lineup for his second career no-hitter.
No-hitters are a rare commodity at the Major League level, with just under 300 having been recognized in the game’s history. As rare as they are, they are an even rarer sight for Reds’ fans. According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the Reds haven’t been no-hit in the regular season in almost 45 years.
Last regular season no-hitter vs. #reds was 6/23/71 by Phillies and Rick Wise…longest active streak of being without no-no in reg season
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) April 22, 2016
Arrieta, whose first no-hit performance came against the Dodgers on Aug. 30 of last season, struck out six Cincinnati hitters and pitched around four walks. He induced 11 groundouts and one flyout, helping his cause in the hitter-friendly ballpark. What helped make this possible was his efficiency of his pitch count as he went deeper into the game, throwing only 34 of his 119 pitches over the last three innings.
The former TCU Horned Frog became the third Cubs pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters, according to ESPN.
Jake Arrieta is 3rd pitcher in Cubs history to throw multiple no-hitters. pic.twitter.com/jyipXghFpK
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) April 22, 2016
With tonight in the record books, Arrieta improved his record to 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA, seemingly picking up right where he left off the second half of last season. The Cubs are 12-4 and remain atop the NL Central with a 3.5 game lead over St. Louis.
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