Chicago Cubs: Ranking Alec Mills’ no-hitter in history
By Bill Felber
The most dominant no-hitter in Chicago Cubs history, Jake Arrieta with a 98.
Arrieta’s first no-hitter – against the Dodgers Aug. 30, 2015, at Dodger Stadium, came in the midst of one of the most dominant stretches any pitcher has ever enjoyed.
Between Aug. 4, 2015, and May 25, 2016, Arrieta went 20-0 over a 156-inning stretch, with a 0.98 earned run average. That stretch encompassed both Arrieta’s previously noted April 21, 2016 no-hitter against Cincinnati and his Los Angeles no-hitter.
At Dodger Stadium Arrieta struck out a dozen and allowed just two base runners. With one out in the third, Enrique Hernandez reached on a Starlin Castro error. With two out in the sixth, Jimmy Rollins drew a base on balls.
Those were footnotes against Arrieta, who got all the support he needed before he ever threw a pitch. In the top of the first inning, Chris Denorfia walked and Kris Bryant drove an Alex Wood pitch into the bleachers for a two-run home run.
The Chicago Cubs would work over Dodger pitchers for a dozen more hits, although they would never push another run across the plate. Nor, thanks to Arrieta, would they need to.
The Cubs pitcher was the dominant start to finish. He demonstrated his mastery in the bottom of the ninth, finishing off the Dodgers by whiffing Justin Turner, Rollins, and Chase Utley.