*Photo from the Boston Globe*
In 2020, with no fans in the stands, a no hitter may feel different in the sense that the ballpark doesn't explode in cheers when it's accomplished. That didn't make it feel any less special for Lucas Giolito. Giolito struck out 13 hitters, threw a no hitter, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. Giolito's no hitter is the 9th in White Sox history, and the first since Phillip Humber's perfect game in 2012.
The White Sox started the scoring in the second, when Luis Robert scored on Adam Engel's groundout to make it 1-0 White Sox. Tim Anderson then hit an RBI single to left field to make it 2-0. Eloy Jimenez then hit an RBI single to right field, lengthening the lead to 3 runs. In the 3rd, Yoan Moncada scored on James McCann's sac fly to make it 4-0, which held for the rest of the game.
Giolito, who just two years ago had one of the highest ERA's in baseball, was still stunned postgame. Giolito said that "It's crazy, man, the weird thing is I always envisioned I'd throw a no-hitter. If you asked me in 2018, I'd say, 'What the hell you talking about. After the seventh I thought, I've got six outs, we're going to make this happen,I looked at who was coming up and was like, 'This is very much in the realm of possibility.'"
White Sox manager Rick Renteria said postgame that "I don't have any words. I want to cry, I'm really, really happy for him." Engel, who caught the last two outs in the 9th inning, echoed Renteria's words, saying that ''I'm just stoked for Lucas and so happy and ecstatic and emotional for Lucas, it stinks we couldn't celebrate the way most no-hitters get celebrated.''
Giolito's lone blemish was to Erik Gonzalez, who drew a walk in the 4th inning. Gonzalez was the final out, hitting a slicing line drive to right that Engel was able to run down. Gonzalez said about it that ''Yeah man, I think I got it, with that at-bat, I was a little bit mad because I don't want to be part of history.'' Steven Brault took the loss for the Pirates, throwing 3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, and didn't record a strikeout.
The series concludes Wednesday, where the Pirates will look to rebound when they send Trevor Williams to the mound. The White Sox look to continue their rise when Dallas Keuchel takes the mound.
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