PHOENIX — Blake Snell was dealing on Tuesday night for the San Diego Padres in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old had allowed no hits through seven innings with 10 strikeouts and two walks.
But, Snell was at 107 pitches and he was removed from the game after the seventh with the no-hitter still going.
The D-backs would go on to record three hits in the game to break up the combined no-hitter.
It's always controversial when a pitcher has to be pulled from a game while throwing a no-hitter, but Snell took it in stride and said he agreed with Padres manager Jayce Tingler's decision.
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“There’s a lot of things I need to do better to allow myself the opportunity to get to the ninth and be able to finish it,” Snell said after the game. “107 pitches through seven, it’s going to be pretty tough to say, ‘let’s go’ unless we’re at the end of the season and it’s all or nothing.”
Tingler said after the game he obviously didn't want to pull Snell, but felt he had to. Snell threw a career-high 122 pitches in his previous start.
“It’s not what you want to do,” Tingler said. “But I felt it was the right thing to do.”
Snell has not completed eight full innings in a game in his career.
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After coming to San Diego from the Tampa Bay Rays, Snell has had a down year for most of the season, but he had a very strong August. Snell was 3-1 in August with a 1.72 ERA. He allowed just seven earned runs in 36.2 innings with 54 strikeouts.
Had the Padres completed the no-hitter, it would have been the ninth of the year in the MLB, breaking a record set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was allowed.
The Padres will look to sweep the D-backs on Wednesday as Yu Darvish takes on Luke Weaver.
