Getty Blake Snell
Blake Snell doesn’t want to hear any more talk about his so-called inability to pitch late into games.
Shortly after firing the first no-hitter of his major league career on August 2, the San Francisco Giants starting pitcher took time to bask in his accomplishment.
“They can’t say it anymore,” Snell told reporters of the criticism. “Complete game, shutout, no-hitter. Leave me alone. ‘He doesn’t go into the 9th. He doesn’t go into the 8th.’ Just did it. Leave me alone.”
“They can’t say it anymore. You know? Complete game, shutout, no-hitter. Leave me alone. ‘He doesn’t go into the 9th. He doesn’t go into the 8th.’ Just did it. Leave me alone.”
Blake Snell on his no-hitter.
Snell signed a $62 million contract with the Giants last offseason, only to pitch to a 9.51 ERA over his first six starts before hitting the injured list. He came back in July and, just as it looked like he found his old form, became the subject of trade rumors as the deadline closed in.
The Giants, still on the fringes of contention, held onto the two-time Cy Young winner who had pitched past the 6th inning just once this season. It paid off on Friday when he struck out 11 Cincinnati Reds and threw 114 pitches in the third no-hitter of the 2024 MLB season. Prior to that, he had never pitched into the 9th inning in his major league career.
Most importantly, the Giants won the game 3-0.
“There’s been a bunch of crap about him not going deep into games,” catcher Patrick Bailey said, per MLB.com’s Maria Guardado. “We were joking about it the other day. I was like, ‘We’re going to go nine shutty together.’ I think one of us was like, ‘Why not just throw a no-hitter?’”
Blake Snell Has No-Hit Stuff
Snell threw more pitches on Friday than he had in any start since September 2022. Since coming off the injured list, he’s thrown 33 innings and given up 2 earned runs, good for a 0.55 ERA.
“I wanted that for him so bad,” manager Bob Melvin said, according to MLB.com. “If anybody has the stuff to throw a no-hitter, it’s Blake Snell. It finally came through. Pitched nine innings of no-hit ball. He’s got that feather in his cap, which is pretty cool.”
And the 31-year-old’s stuff has undeniably improved since his slow start. His fastball has ticked up about 1 mph since his injury and he’s generating more swings on pitches outside the zone (37.2% compared to 25.6% pre-injury). Opponents’ contact percentage has also dropped by 10%.
In throwing his no-hitter, Snell became just the third pitcher since 1900 to strike out 15 batters and throw a no-hitter in consecutive starts, per ESPN Stats & Info.
“I was pumped up,” Snell said. “It was a great time. I’m still kind of shocked. I need to go home, let it sink in.”
The Giants Are Trying to Make a Playoff Push
The Giants chose a good time to start winning games. On July 25, five days before the trade deadline, San Francisco was 49-55, 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. They had also lost five of their last seven.
Since then, San Francisco is 6-1, highlighted by a four-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies. Granted, this streak hasn’t been against the greatest competition, but the Giants are less than a month removed from a series loss to Colorado.
The schedule doesn’t ramp up much from here, either. The Giants have only one series against a team above .500 until August 23. If they can beat up on the bad teams, then the decision to keep Snell — and not sell at the deadline overall — suddenly looks even smarter.
“We kind of feel like we have something good going,” utility man Tyler Fitzgerald said, according to Guardado. “It’s all about putting up runs for these guys, which we haven’t done an amazing job of this year. But we feel really good about our rotation, and as long as we play good defense and put up runs for them, we can make a little run here.”
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Giants Pitcher Blake Snell Silences Critics With No-Hitter: ‘Leave Me Alone’