Perhaps my most enjoyable moment of the 2024 baseball season occurred Thursday afternoon. No, it wasn't anything pertaining to the White Sox losing their 11th consecutive game.
Actually, I turned the Sox game off to watch former Chicago ace Dylan Cease pursue history. Much to my delight, Cease finished off his first career no-hitter, as the San Diego Padres defeated the Washington Nationals, 3-0.
The 28-year-old right-hander threw a career-high 114 pitches, striking out nine and walking three. Sox fans probably recall that Cease previously came within one out of a no-hitter on Sept. 3, 2022, against the Minnesota Twins.
I was in attendance at that game. Unfortunately, Minnesota's Luis Arraez broke up that bid with a single to right-center. Cease then struck out Kyle Garlick to finish off a one-hit shutout. Even though the Sox won that game resoundingly, I remember being so disappointed leaving the stadium and walking back to my car.
Even though Cease no longer pitches for my favorite team, I was nervous for him when he got to two outs in the ninth. When Washington's CJ Abrams hit a soft liner to right field, I think I yelled at the TV, "Catch it! Catch it!"
Sure enough, San Diego right fielder Bryce Johnson made the play for the final out.
Cease is now 10-8 with a 3.50 ERA for the Padres this season. As usual, he's been durable, making 22 starts to this point. His numbers may not be spectacular, but they are solid. I imagine San Diego is happy it acquired him in a five-player deal with the Sox shortly before this season began.
In recent starts, it seems as though Cease has regained the dominance he had in 2022, when he finished second in the American League in Cy Young voting.
Over his past three outings, Cease is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Hard to beat that, right? He's thrown 22 innings in that span, and he's given up a grand total of two hits.
No, that's not a misprint. He's given up only two hits in his past three starts, striking out 30 and walking only four. Just outstanding.
Sarah Langs tweeted Thursday that Cease has six outings this season of six-plus innings with zero or one hit allowed. That's two more than anyone else in a season since 1901, Langs wrote.
When Cease is on, good luck to opposing batters.
It's really sad for Sox fans that they don't get to enjoy his top-level pitching anymore. But hey, how about Drew Thorpe? At least the main guy the Sox got in the Cease deal has pitched well as a rookie, having totaled five consecutive quality starts.
But that's still not as fun as a no-hitter, you know?
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