After innings of superstitious silence on Friday, Giants pitcher Blake Snell released a victorious yell after Carl Yastremski settled under a wilting fly ball in right-center field, securing the veteran pitcher's first career MLB no-hitter.
It's both a testament to Snell's glittering recent form, allowing just two earned runs in his last 33 innings on the mound, and an exorcism of the southpaw's dogged early season struggles, finally earning his first winning decision of 2024, a 3-0 triumph over Cincinnati
“You're so amped up in the last inning there, to be able to make that throw when you are trying to throw it as hard as you can to the plate,” Snell told reporters after the game. "I'm still kind of in shock,” he said. “I need to go home and let it sink in. I haven't really processed the game.”
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Snell first captured national intrigue during his 2018 season with the Rays, succeeding two stellar seasons in Tampa Bay with among the best pitching campaigns in modern baseball history. The 6'4 lefty finished with a 1.86 ERA, the lowest mark for an American League pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2000, compiled a gaudy 21-5 record and pipped Justin Verlander to the Cy Young title.
Across the next four seasons, however, Snell returned to his previously mediocre plateau, compiling a 25-26 record and a 3.85 ERA while splitting time between Tampa Bay and San Diego. Snell did improve greatly during his final four starts of 2022, allowing just two earned runs, which set up a brilliant final year in southern California.
Snell posted a 2.25 ERA, once again leading baseball in that category, and scooped up another Cy Young award in 2023, ballooning his free agency value as he entered the open market. Ultimately agreeing to a 2-year, $62 million contract with the Giants earlier this year, Snell uniquely joined the team more than a month into spring training and suffered a fittingly unsettled overture to life in the Bay Area.
The Seattle native lasted just three innings on his Giants debut against Washington, throwing 72 pitches and allowing three earned runs during that period. His ERA continued to balloon in the month of April, allowing five and seven earned runs respectively in a pair of starts that ended before the sixth inning, before missing the next month with a left adductor muscle injury.
Snell continued to struggle upon his return, allowing 10 runs in 12 earned innings before missing more time through injury and publically suggesting that the Giants were attempting to rush his recovery process. He's been nearly flawless since his most recent return on July 9, however, posting five quality starts and just two earned runs in the process.
While he's faced longstanding criticism for not pitching deep into games, which has likely also cost him a few wins this season, Snell believes that his first career complete game on Friday shows he has understated endurance on the mound. “They can’t say it anymore. You know?" Snell said after Friday's game. "Complete game, shutout, no-hitter. Leave me alone. ‘He doesn’t go into the ninth. He doesn’t go into the eighth…’ Just did it. Leave me alone.”
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