
Two years ago, Lucas Giolito posted the highest ERA in MLB among qualified pitchers. Now, he’s on top of the baseball world.
Giolito, the Chicago White Sox ace, threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday.
It’s the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history, and the first since Phil Humber’s perfect game in 2012. The 19 no-hitters are now the most by an American League franchise, breaking a tie with the Boston Red Sox; only the Los Angeles Dodgers (23) have thrown more.
Giolito struck out 13 Pirates on 101 pitches in the 4-0 win, and only allowed three fly-ball outs. His 13 punchouts are the most by any White Sox pitcher in a no-hitter, according to MLB Stats. Giolito got Pirates hitters to swing and miss 30 times, the second-most swing-and-misses in a no-hitter since 1988, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. His only blemish was a fourth-inning walk issued to Erik Gonzalez.
The closest Pittsburgh came to a hit was in the seventh, when Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu teamed up for a spectacular play to nab Bryan Reynolds at first base by a half-step.
For the Pirates, this is the 13th time they’ve been on the losing end of a no-hitter, and the first since 2015. It’s also the first time they’ve been no-hit by an American League team.
This was the fourth no-hitter thrown at Guaranteed Rate Field, which opened in 1991.