New York: Rookie Chris Heston pitched the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season on Tuesday, striking out 11 batters in a 5-0 San Francisco Giants victory over the New York Mets.
The 27-year-old Heston threw the 17th no-hitter in Giants history in just his 13th career start.
“I was able to get the ball and I will keep that one forever. That is special,” said Heston, who threw 110 pitches, including 72 for strikes.
Heston (6-4) struck out the last three batters he faced. He hit two batters in the fourth inning and one in the ninth, the only baserunners he allowed.
“You just have to trust yourself and throw as many strikes as possible,” he said. “Attack the zone. Don’t let the nerves get to you. Just throw quality strikes, and that didn’t change in the ninth. It was awesome to be part of it.”
He is the first Giant pitcher to throw a no-hitter since last June, when Tim Lincecum shut down the San Diego Padres.
The right-hander also became the 22nd rookie in MLB history to throw a no-hitter, and the first since Boston’s Clay Buchholz in 2007.
Heston also had a two-run single while Joe Panik and Matt Duffy hit solo home runs for San Francisco, which has won three of its last four games.
“He pitched a great game,” New York manager Terry Collins said of Heston. “His stuff was right on the corners, changed things up and did all the things a pitcher is supposed to do. You have to give him all the credit and he deserves it, he pitched a great game.”
Heston hit Anthony Recker with his first pitch in the ninth as he was just three outs away from a no-hitter. He secured his place in the history books with consecutive strike outs of Danny Muno, Curtis Granderson and Ruben Tejada, who were all caught looking at a third strike.
The last time the Mets were no-hit was September 1993, by Houston Astros hurler Darryl Kile.
Noah Syndergaard (2-4) allowed four runs on 10 hits over six innings for the Mets, who have dropped three of their past four games.
Heston said he has learnt to be a good listener in the clubhouse.
“I am lucky to have some older guys on the staff that have done it at a high level for a long period of time,” he said. “I am just trying to pick their brains and learn.”
He helped his cause by finishing two-for-four at the plate with two RBIs.
“We are not supposed to get any hits so I will be telling the hitters about that one,” he joked.
The last no-hitter in the majors was thrown by Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann against Miami on the last day of the 2014 season.
It was the fourth straight year a San Francisco pitcher notched a no-no, as Matt Cain tossed a perfect game in 2012 and Lincecum had no-nos in 2013 and 2014.
— AFP