ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Athletics starter J.T. Ginn took a no-hitter and a one-run lead into the ninth inning Monday night.
Six pitches later, he walked off the mound with a heartbreaking loss.
Adam Frazier lined a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth and Zach Neto followed with a two-run homer that gave the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 victory,
snapping a six-game skid while stunning Ginn and the A's.“Obviously, a tough game," Ginn said. "Just keep
your head up and keep moving forward. It’s just the nature of the game that we play. I attack the zone and I live with that.”
Frazier lined an 0-2 pitch over shortstop for a clean single, giving Los Angeles just its third baserunner. Neto then drove a 2-0 sinker to center field for his eighth home run of the season.
“Just a crazy game to play," Ginn said. "I fell behind 2-0, threw a good sinker, and he was waiting on it and put a good swing on it. So, tip your cap to him.”
Ginn (2-2) was trying for the first no-hitter in the majors since Shota Imanaga combined with two Chicago Cubs relievers for a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, 2024. The previous pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter was Blake Snell for the San Francisco Giants against Cincinnati on Aug. 2, 2024.
Ginn threw a career-high 105 pitches, 64 for strikes. He struck out 10, walked one and hit Neto with a pitch in the sixth.
The right-hander from Mississippi, who turns 27 on Wednesday, struck out the side in the seventh and finished the inning with his 10th strikeout — setting a career high.
“J.T. dominated all night. For him to walk off the mound with a loss there, it hurts, obviously,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "He pitched probably the best game he’s pitched in his big league career, and to have an opportunity to get a no-hitter, and two hits later you walk off with a loss, it’s tough. I had full confidence in him going out there in that inning at 100 pitches and trying to get it done. It just didn’t work out.”
Pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler put the A's ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. Angels reliever Chase Silseth got slugger Nick Kurtz to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
It was the 30th career start for Ginn, who made his major league debut in August 2024.
“He did such a phenomenal job all night keeping guys off balance. His stuff was nasty. Just kind of rolling, you know, and then it’s gut-wrenching stuff in the ninth for it to end that way. It definitely sucks right now," Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers said. "Baseball will humble you in all sorts of ways. ... It’s going to be hard to flush this one.”
The Angels haven't been no-hit since Sept. 11, 1999 — the longest active streak in the majors.
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