WATCH: Without these three plays, Arrieta doesn't throw a no-hitter
Cubs ace Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter against the Reds on Thursday night. As is the case with pretty much every no-hitter, his defense helped him out.
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
Cubs ace Jake Arrieta no-hit the Reds on Thursday night in Cincinnati. No-hitters, of course, are a signifier of great pitching, and they also very often indicate some clutch fielding on the part of the defense behind the pitcher in question. That was very much the case on Thursday night in Cincinnati, especially in the third and fourth innings.
First, to end the third, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made a snare-and-throw to just barely retire Zack Cozart at first. Here's a link to video of that play.
Now we move on to the fourth. Cubs catcher David Ross records the first out of the home half by picking off Eugenio Suarez after Suarez drew a walk. Here's a link to video of that play. That's vital to what happens next because, had Ross not extinguished Suarez, then first baseman Anthony Rizzo would've been holding the runner on.
Instead, with no one, Rizzo was able to do this to Joey Votto ...
Nifty play! It's also one that Rizzo very likely doesn't make if he's getting a late break into position because he's holding Suarez.
As ever, the margins are thin when it comes to not allowing a hit over the span of nine innings. So it was with Arrieta, Bryant, Ross, Rizzo, and the rest of the Cubs on Thursday night.
