Chicago Cubs make franchise history with combined no-hitter against Pirates

A lot has happened at Wrigley Field since it opened 110 years ago, but there hasn’t been a game there without a hit from the Chicago Cubs in a long time.

On Wednesday, the Cubs went hitless at Wrigley for the first time in 52 years, as three Chicago pitchers held the Pittsburgh Pirates to a single hit in a 12-0 rout.

Cubs ace Shota Imanaga deserves most of the credit, as he started the game with seven hitless frames. The All-Star rookie walked two and struck out seven, but Craig Counsell decided to remove him after 95 pitches (66 strikes) rather than let him continue the story and potentially injure his shoulder.

From that point on, the reserve team took over, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge finished the game in the eighth and ninth innings, sealing Chicago’s historic victory.

It was the 18th no-hitter in Cubs franchise history (tied for third with an MLB team), but only their second no-hitter overall. Their most recent no-hitter of 2021 also involved multiple pitchers, as Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel neutralized the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chicago hasn’t thrown a no-hitter at Wrigley Field since Sept. 2, 1972, when Milt Pappas threw a perfect game in the ninth inning but still a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. It was the Cubs’ second no-hitter of the year, following Burt Hooton’s no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16.

Six of Chicago’s 18 hitless games have come at Wrigley Field. The old ballpark hasn’t seen a hitless game in nearly a decade, the last coming on July 25, 2015, and coming from then-Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels.

The Cubs had plenty of run support Wednesday as their offense stayed hot, scoring 12 runs on 17 hits. They scored in six of their eight shutout appearances, sending Pirates starter Domingo German to an early rainout after just three innings.

Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cody Bellinger all hit home runs for Chicago, helping the Cubs salvage the final game of the series and improve to 72-68 after losing their first two games to division rivals.

Chicago will have a day off Thursday to celebrate its historic accomplishment before the New York Yankees come to town for a three-game weekend series. It will be a key series for both sides, as the Cubs battle for a Wild Card spot and the Yankees battle the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East.