Kyle Hendricks took a no-hitter two outs into the eighth inning, Christopher Morel drove in three runs with a home run and a single and the Chicago Cubs made it two straight over the host San Francisco Giants with a 4-0 triumph Saturday night.
Hendricks was aiming for the Cubs’ first no-hitter since a four-man combined effort on June 24, 2021. Hendricks (1-2) had allowed just one baserunner — a Michael Conforto walk with one out in the second inning — before Mitch Haniger lashed a double off the left field fence on a full count with the right-hander just four outs away from history.
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ seemed to have a shot at catching the ball, which barely reached the fence, but after a long run elected to play the carom rather than make a potentially dangerous lunge for the hit near the barrier.
Hendricks retired Brent Sabol on a flyout to Happ to preserve the shutout, and Julian Merryweather completed the Cubs’ seventh shutout of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The 2021 Cubs no-hitter was thrown by Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel in a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The last Cub to throw a solo no-hitter was Alec Mills against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 13, 2020.
Hendricks was making just his fourth start of the season after having suffered a capsular tear in his right shoulder last July. He struck out three in his eight innings.
Matt Mervis provided Hendricks with an early lead with a leadoff home run in the third inning off Giants bulk-innings reliever Jakob Junis. It was Mervis’ third homer of the season.
Morel did the rest of the Cubs’ offensive damage, beginning when he led off the fourth against Junis with his 10th homer of the season to make it 2-0.
The Cubs then doubled their advantage — and completed the game’s scoring — with a two-run fifth. Morel drove in the runs with a two-out single, plating Nick Madrigal, who had walked, and Mike Tauchman, who had doubled.
After opener John Brebbia had thrown two hitless innings, Junis (3-3) took the loss for the Giants, charged with all four Cubs runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Sean Manaea relieved Junis after Morel’s hit in the fifth and held the Cubs hitless the rest of the way, striking out five in 4 1/3 innings.
The Cubs outhit the Giants 5-1 in a game that featured four extra-base hits — the homers by Mervis and Morel, and the doubles by Tauchman and Haniger.
–Field Level Media
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