There are no words to describe tonight. A no-hitter. A childhood dream coming true. Wow! Congrats @lgio27! #HistoryMade #NoHitter pic.twitter.com/JwdKsW6p3N
— James McCann (@JamesMcCann34) August 26, 2020
Dos Pueblos alum James McCann caught the no-hitter of Lucas Giolito in a 4-0 win by the Chicago White Sox over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday at an empty Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.
Giolito struck out 13 in pitching his first career no-hitter, and he did it on 101 pitches.
“Lucas is an unbelievable pitcher, with great stuff, and our relationship just takes it to the next level,” McCann said in postgame interview. “He shook me off once earlier in the game, and it caught me off-guard. That’s happened maybe three times in our career together.”
It was the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history.
It also was the first no-hitter without fans in the stands. The lowest attendance for a no-hitter was 500 on Aug. 4, 1884.
Giolito produced 30 swing-and-misses, second most in a no-hitter since 1988.
McCann had an notion that something special was going to happen Tuesday.
“I could tell by the swings we were getting,” McCann said . “I didn’t say anything to him through the game, except be aggressive and stay after it. I told him that every inning: Attack, attack, attack.”
Giolito, 26, said he felt from the start that he was at the top of his game.
“I knew it was working after the first inning,” he told the media of his stuff. “It just kept building and building. After the sixth inning was when I really started to notice what was going on. After the seventh, I was like, ‘I got six outs. We’re going to make this happen.’”
McCann, who also scored and drove in a run, said he was very appreciative of the entire experience.
“Getting this no-hitter with Lucas at this point in my career, it’s a memory I’ll never forget,” he said softly. “We have such a special connection. I just don’t know what to say. It’s just very special.”
McCann nearly caught a no-hitter from Justin Verlander when they played in Detroit. The no-no was spoiled with two outs in the ninth inning.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.