CINCINNATI — Jake Arrieta tossed the second no-hitter of his career and the 15th in Chicago Cubs history in a 16-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night at Great American Ball Park.
With a sizeable contingent of Cubs fans among the 16,497 in attendance standing and roaring with each strike, Arrieta walked Scott Schebler to begin the ninth. It was the fourth walk of the night for Arrieta, who was uncharacteristically wild.
After pinch hitter Tucker Barnhart popped out to shortstop and Zack Cozart lined hard to center, Arrieta got Eugenio Suarez to fly out to right fielder Jason Heyward for the final out, and the celebration was on around the mound.
Arrieta, who threw a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 30 last season, was greeted with hugs, high-fives and a Gatorade shower before exiting the field.
The Cubs’ 16 runs were the most scored in a no-hitter in modern baseball history (since 1900). The Buffalo Bisons’ Pud Galvin no-hit the Detroit Wolverines 18-0 in an 1884 no-hitter.
Thursday’s result was never in doubt, as Kris Bryant hit two of five Cubs home runs, including a grand slam. Bryant went 4-for-6 and tied a career high with six RBIs.
Arrieta allowed just five balls to be hit out of the infield. He had six strikeouts, and he went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Cincinnati (8-8) hadn’t had a no-hitter thrown against them since the Phillies’ Rick Wise performed the feat June 23, 1971, at Riverfront Stadium.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon was concerned about the weather Thursday. There was steady rain prior to the game, and precipitation was predicted to return later. With his ace on the mound, the skipper didn’t want the game to start and then be delayed. However, the weather held off long enough for Arrieta to make history.
Chicago (12-4) entered Thursday’s game hitting just .236 as a team, but it pounded Cincinnati pitching throughout, finishing with 18 hits.
It also was quite an evening for Cubs catcher David Ross, who went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk while also picking a runner off first.
The last time Brandon Finnegan faced the Cubs, he held them hitless into the seventh. This time, Chicago jumped on the Reds left-hander early.
Dexter Fowler began the game with a double off the wall in center. Two batters later, Bryant crushed a 1-0 pitch 420 feet into the upper deck in left field to put Chicago ahead 2-0.
Ben Zobrist, who snapped an 0-for-24 skid on Monday, launched a homer, his first of the season, into the right-field stands in the second.
The Cubs led 5-0 after three innings, more than enough support for Arrieta, who hadn’t allowed more than five runs in a game since August 2014.
Cincinnati had potential hits taken away on several fine defensive plays.
Zack Cozart’s grounder to third was backhanded by Bryant, who bounced a throw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to end the third. In the fourth, Rizzo made a diving stop of Joey Votto’s hard smash and flipped to Arrieta for the out.
It took Finnegan 74 pitches to get through four innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
NOTES: The Reds owned the longest active regular-season streak at 7,109 games without being no-hit. Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay no-hit them in Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series. … Cubs C Kyle Schwarber returned to Chicago on Thursday after successful knee surgery. … The Cubs are 16-2 in their past 18 road games dating to September. … Reds CF Billy Hamilton will miss a few games with a left thumb contusion suffered while making a catch during the series in St. Louis. Scott Schebler started in center on Thursday. … Reds manager Bryan Price informed J.J. Hoover that he’s going try a closer-by-committee approach, although the struggling Hoover will get a share of the save opportunities.