San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell had himself a night to remember on Friday.
Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, threw the 18th no-hitter in Giants’ franchise history against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark, helping lead San Francisco to a 3-0 win in the series opener.
Snell allowed just three walks and struck out the last 11 Reds during his dominant performance on the mound, capped off by a line drive out from Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
Here was the electric final out:
Blake Snell tosses the 18th no-hitter in @SFGiants history! pic.twitter.com/KVS3tml6CR
— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2024
The Giants pitcher had plenty to say after his no-hitter.
“They can’t say it anymore, you know?” Snell told reporters. “Complete game, shutout, no-hitter. Leave me alone. ‘He doesn't go into the 9th. He doesn’t go into the 8th.’ Just did it. Leave me alone."
Snell had a message for the haters after his no-hitter 😂 pic.twitter.com/UcpT76uqFH
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 3, 2024
Snell’s no-no marked the third no-hitter in the MLB this season and the first by a Giant since Chris Heston’s outing against the New York Mets in 2015. After an ugly start to the season and a brief spell on the injured list, Snell is pitching to a 0.55 ERA in his last five starts.
The 31-year-old had never completed eight innings before throwing his no-hitter, but Snell recorded his first complete game in his 202nd career start—and what a game it was. Snell added that he went into the ninth inning throwing strikes because he was afraid Giants manager Bob Melvin would pull him at that point.
Melvin ultimately let him cook, and now Snell can add one more praise-worthy highlight to his decorated career.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Blake Snell Had Fired-Up Message for Critics After No-Hitter in Giants’ Win Over Reds.
