The Cincinnati Reds on Sunday threw a combined eight no-hit innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates in PNC Park. However, the Pirates managed to win the game by a score of 1-0.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the eighth, when the Pirates with one out earned three walks to load the bases. At that point, KeBryan Hayes hit a grounder to second that looked like a potential inning-ending double play. However, Alejo Lopez bobbled the transfer, and Hayes was able to beat his throw for an RBI force-out.
That score held as David Bednar worked a perfect top of the ninth for his seventh save of the season. Because the Pirates were at home and didn’t bat in the bottom of the ninth, it goes down as an eight-inning no-hitter for the Reds. The Elias Sports Bureau does not recognize no-hitters unless they span at least nine innings. Had it been official, then it would’ve been the third no-hitter of the season. The Mets tossed a combined no-hitter against the Phillies on April 29, and Angels rookie Reid Detmers held the Rays hitless on May 10.
As Sarah Langs notes, the Pirates become one of the few teams ever to win a game despite not recording a base hit:
On the Reds’ side of things, rookie right-hander Hunter Greene did the heavy lifting:
Two of those walks came in the eighth, which led to a clearly fatiguing Greene being lifted in favor of reliever Art Warren. Greene wound up throwing 118 pitches, which is not only the highest total of his young career but also the highest pitch count of any pitcher this season. Prior to Sunday’s outing, Greene had not pitched more than 5 1/3 innings in a game. Greene, a former No. 2 overall pick, has a big fastball and an ace ceiling. However, he’s struggled in this his first major-league season. Sunday’s outing lowered his 2022 ERA from 7.62 to 6.21.
The loss drops the Reds to 9-26 on the season, while the Pirates improve to 15-19.
