Veteran Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks in his Saturday road start against the San Francisco Giants came within four outs of throwing the first no-hitter of 2023 in an eventual 4-0 win for his team.
Making the bid even more notable is that Hendricks pitched the longest no-hit bid of the season in just his fourth start since returning from shoulder surgery. Before making his first start of 2023 on May 25, Hendricks hadn't seen game action in the majors since July 5 of last year.
As for his close brush with history, Hendricks' bid came to an end with two outs in the eighth when Mitch Haniger drove a double to left-center:
Hendricks retired the final batter of the frame before giving way to reliever Julian Merryweather, who pitched a perfect ninth. Hendricks wound up with three strikeouts, one walk and 13 ground-ball outs. Of his 94 pitches, 61 went for strikes, and in typical fashion none of those pitches reached 90 mph. He allowed eight hard-hit balls in the start, but of course only one of those was good for a hit. With the effort, the 33-year-old Hendricks lowered his ERA to 3.09.
Had Hendricks been able to complete the bid, then his no-hitter would have been the first since the Astros' combined effort against the Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series. The Cubs' last no-hitter came in combined fashion against the Dodgers on June 24, 2021. As for the Giants, they still haven't been no-hit since Homer Bailey of the Reds held them hitless on July 2, 2013.
With the win, the Cubs improve to 28-36 on the season, while the loss drops the Giants back to .500 at 32-32.
