Cubs throw first combined no-hitter in team history against Dodgers
When Jake Marisnick pinch hit for Zach Davies in the top of the 7th inning at Dodger Stadium, it seemed inevitable.
No-hitting the Dodgers through 6 innings, the Cubs’ date with history rested on the hands of the most reliable, three-headed, back-of-the-bullpen monster in baseball.
No problem.
A quality start from Davies, then lights out performances from Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel solidified the first combined no-hitter in franchise history as the Cubs beat the Dodgers 4-0. It’s the 17th no-hitter in team history.
“I mean when you have that confidence in how these guys are throwing, obviously, that’s a huge deal and a part of it,” Ross said.
It’s the first no-hitter against a team with 3 former MVPs in the lineup as the Dodgers had Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Albert Pujols starting.
“Even though it wasn’t a solo, it was a combined effort, just being a part of history in something like that is fun for myself, for family members, for friends and definitely for the guys that came in the game and contributed something,” Davies said.
It didn’t matter against the quartet of Davies, Tepera, Chafin and Kimbrel.
They stymied the Dodger bats all night, inducing weak contact after weak contact. They walked 7 Dodgers but got out of each jam. That included a 1st inning jam where the Dodgers had runners on first and second with two outs. Davies settled in after that, inducing a Pujols lineout. About halfway through his outing, Davies realized what was going on.
“You kinda pay attention to what’s going on in the game,” Davies said. “The way I pitch is very mental and so you kinda pay attention to the way the game’s going.”
Davies permitted just 3 walks over the next 5 innings of work and struck out 4.
The Cubs bats backed up the stellar no-hitter, too.
Javy Báez hit a solo home run off of one of the Dodgers’ aces, Walker Buehler in the top of the 1st and the Cubs didn’t look back. Willson Contreras added a two-run home run in the 6th and Jake Marisnick added an RBI-single in the 7th.
Then it was time for the dominant pen.
Tepera pitched a shutout 7thand Chafin a shutout 8th inning.
“As a bullpen this year, so far, we’ve been really good,” Tepera said. “It’s kind of a cool thing and to make history like that as a baseball player, that’s all you can really ask for.”
Then, it was Kimbrel, in a non-save situation, but an important situation, nonetheless.
He walked Chris Taylor on four pitches, then struck out Bellinger, Pujols and Will Smith to cement the historic night.
“You feel really secure about a 4-run lead and then you get to the 9th and I don’t know that I’ve been as nervous in a long time with a 4-0 lead and two outs and Craig Kimbrel on the mound than i was tonight,” Ross said.