Well, it has happened. For the first time since the Boston Red Sox’s Clay Buchholz did it in 2007, and for just the fourth time in Major League History, a rookie starting pitcher has thrown a no hitter.
In a very young and talented pitching matchup between San Francisco Giants’ 26 year old rookie Chris Heston and New York Mets 22 year old rookie Noah Syndergaard, Heston had the upper hand from the very first pitch thrown. He was in cruise control all game long, striking out 11 Mets and walking zero. The only baserunners he allowed were when he hit three batters, two of them consecutively, and one in the 9th inning. His control for the most part was on point, and to do it on the road made it even more impressive. He had never thrown a no hitter in his life, and to do it during his first year in the big leagues in New York City is just unheard of. Heston also helped his team out at the plate, going 2 for 4 and drove in two runs in the 5-0 victory.
Syndergaard struggled for the most part early on in the game, as he went 6 innings, gave up 10 hits and 4 runs, walked one and struck out just two Giants. His record fell to 2-4 on the season. Heston, on the other hand, improved to 6-4. After that great start the Mets got off to, they seemed to have struggled to really get going even though they’re still neck and neck with the Washington Nationals for first place, and hopefully that turns around when they get some of their key pieces of their lineup back from the disabled list. The Giants, on the other hand, have been the exact opposite. They’re the first team to be in last place in their division after the first month of the season after winning the World Series, but since then they’ve taken off and are now giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a run for their money at the top of the National League West.
It was definitely a significant night for baseball, the Giants, and Chris Heston as he stamped his name into the record books with his performance at Citi Field.
