Zach Davies, 3 Cubs Relievers Throw Combined No-Hitter vs. Dodgers

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Zach Davies and three Cubs relievers pitched a combined no-hitter in a 4-0 road win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night. 

Davies threw six shutout innings, striking out four and walking five while throwing 94 pitches.

A trio of relief pitchers—Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel—pitched the seventh through ninth innings, respectively. They each walked a batter but did not permit anyone else to get on base.

Kimbrel got the final out after striking out Dodgers catcher Will Smith.

The 2021 MLB season has now featured seven no-hitters. The first six were courtesy of the San Diego Padres’ Joe Musgrove, Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox, the Baltimore Orioles’ John Means, the Cincinnati Reds’ Wade Miley, the Detroit Tigers’ Spencer Turnbull and the New York Yankees’ Corey Kluber.

Additionally, Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Madison Bumgarner didn’t allow any hits in a 7-0 seven-inning win over the Atlanta Braves. However, MLB does not recognize that effort as an official no-hitter because the game, which served as the second half of a doubleheader featuring a pair of seven-inning games, did not go nine frames.

Per Sarah Langs and Andrew Simon of MLB.com, there were also seven no-hitters in 1990, 1991, 2012 and 2015. The all-time record (modern era or earlier) is eight no-hitters (1884).

Thursday’s no-hitter marked the first by the Cubs since left-hander Alec Mills tossed one against the Milwaukee Brewers last September. It’s also the 17th no-hitter in franchise history.

This marks MLB’s first combined no-hitter since starter Anibel Sanchez and three Houston Astros relievers got the job done against the Seattle Mariners on August 3, 2019.

Chicago also accomplished this feat in the process:

The 42-33 Cubs moved into a first-place National League Central tie with the Milwaukee Brewers with the win. The 44-31 Dodgers, who stayed in second place in the NL West despite the loss, fell 4.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants.