05/19/26 01:06:00
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05/19 01:04 CDT Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn loses no-hitter in 9th inning, then
loses 2-1 to the Angels
Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn loses no-hitter in 9th inning, then loses 2-1 to
the Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) --- Athletics starter J.T. Ginn took a no-hitter and a
one-run lead into the ninth inning Monday night.
Six pitches later, he walked off the mound with a heartbreaking loss.
Adam Frazier lined a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth and Zach Neto
followed with a two-run homer that gave the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 victory,
stunning Ginn and the A's while snapping a six-game skid.
"Obviously a tough game," Ginn said. "Just keep your head up and keep moving
forward. It's just the nature of the game that we play. I attack the zone and I
live with that."
Frazier lined an 0-2 pitch over shortstop for a clean single, giving Los
Angeles only its third baserunner. Neto then drove a 2-0 sinker to center field
for his eighth home run of the season.
"Just a crazy game to play," Ginn said. "I fell behind 2-0, threw a good
sinker, and he was waiting on it and put a good swing on it. So, tip your cap
to him."
Ginn (2-2) was trying for the first no-hitter in the majors since Shota Imanaga
combined with two Chicago Cubs relievers for a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on
Sept. 4, 2024. The previous pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter was
Blake Snell for the San Francisco Giants against Cincinnati on Aug. 2, 2024.
The most recent A's no-hitter was thrown by Mike Fiers in May 2019 against
Cincinnati.
Ginn threw a career-high 105 pitches, 64 for strikes. He struck out 10, walked
one and hit Neto with a pitch in the sixth.
The right-hander from Mississippi, who turns 27 on Wednesday, fanned all three
batters in the seventh to give him 10 strikeouts --- setting a career high. But
he became the sixth major league pitcher since at least 1974 to allow no hits
or runs in the first eight innings of a game and still take the loss. Rich Hill
was the previous one, for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Pittsburgh in August
2017.
"J.T. dominated all night. For him to walk off the mound with a loss there, it
hurts, obviously," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "He pitched probably the
best game he's pitched in his big league career, and to have an opportunity to
get a no-hitter, and two hits later you walk off with a loss, it's tough. I had
full confidence in him going out there in that inning at 100 pitches and trying
to get it done. It just didn't work out."
Kotsay had lefty Hogan Harris warming up in the bullpen during the ninth inning
and planned to bring him in to face Mike Trout, who was on deck when the game
ended. Kotsay hoped Ginn, whose sinker had been effective all night, could
induce a groundball from Neto.
"Hindsight's always 20-20," Kotsay said. "It easily could have went the other
direction."
Pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler put the A's ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the
top of the ninth. The A's then loaded the bases before Angels reliever Chase
Silseth got slugger Nick Kurtz to ground into an inning-ending double play.
"Kurtz doesn't hit the ball on the ground a ton and they get out of that inning
and momentum shifted a little bit," Kotsay said. "It would have been nice to
add on in that inning and give (Ginn) a little more cushion."
It was the 30th career start for Ginn, who made his major league debut in
August 2024.
"He did such a phenomenal job all night keeping guys off balance. His stuff was
nasty. Just kind of rolling, you know, and then it's gut-wrenching stuff in the
ninth for it to end that way. It definitely sucks right now," Athletics catcher
Shea Langeliers said. "Baseball will humble you in all sorts of ways. ... It's
going to be hard to flush this one."
The Angels haven't been no-hit since Sept. 11, 1999 --- the longest active
streak in the majors. In that game, they lost 7-0 at Minnesota, shut down by
Twins pitcher Eric Milton.
The last visiting pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Angels in Anaheim
was Rangers right-hander and Hall of Famer Burt Blyleven on Sept. 22, 1977, in
a 6-0 Texas triumph.
The last A's starting pitcher to lose a no-hitter in the ninth inning was Vida
Blue against Detroit in 1976.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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