Fired-up pitcher tells coach 'I'm finishing this game,' then completes no-hitter

TORONTO -- After watching Marshall Toole track down three hard-hit balls to center field in the seventh inning on Friday night, Rays pitching prospect Aidan Cremarosa returned to the Charleston RiverDogs’ dugout with a message for pitching coach Tyler Higgins.

He had only thrown 70 pitches through seven innings, and he hadn’t allowed a baserunner. He wasn’t done.

“His words were, ‘I’m finishing this ballgame, whether you like it or not,’” Higgins said. “And I said, ‘We’ll see about that.’ He said, ‘I’m finishing this game,’ then he walked away.”

He wasn’t asking.

“Just letting him know,” Cremarosa said. “He was going to have to drag me off that mound.”

Cremarosa had a feeling it was going to be a special night, and he couldn’t have been more correct. The 22-year-old right-hander threw Charleston’s first-ever solo no-hitter, the Minors’ first nine-inning no-hitter since Aug. 20, 2022, and the first solo nine-inning no-no in Single-A since June 7, 2018.

Cremarosa threw 101 pitches, struck out 11 and walked one in a 3-0 win over the Augusta GreenJackets at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. The only baserunner he allowed came on a full-count walk -- a breaking ball just off the plate -- with two outs in the eighth inning.

“One pitch away from perfect,” Charleston manager Danny Mendick said in a phone interview.

It was the RiverDogs’ first no-hitter since Aug, 6, 2018, when Janson Junk, Austin DeCarr and Daniel Alvarez pitched a combined effort, and it made Cremarosa -- an eighth-round pick out of Fresno State in last year’s Draft -- the only full-season Minor Leaguer to work a nine-inning complete game this season.

Cremarosa said he had never been involved in a no-hitter at any level, nor had he ever pitched nine innings in a game.

“It was pretty surreal,” Cremarosa said.

As historic as Friday’s start was, it didn’t necessarily come out of nowhere considering how well he has pitched in his first taste of professional baseball.

After being recognized by the Rays organization as their Pitcher of the Month in April, Cremarosa on Monday was named the Carolina Pitcher of the Week for his performance. Cremarosa boasts a 4-0 record with a 2.38 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP and 49 strikeouts compared to only five walks in 34 innings over six starts.

“Our pitching coaches and staff and coordinators have done a really great job with him, just recognizing his stuff, his potential, his mindset, his ability to throw the ball where he wants it,” Mendick said. “He’s been given tools to help him succeed.”

But Friday was still a bit stressful. Like every organization, the Rays are protective of their pitchers and mindful of their long-term health. That means adhering to pitch counts, especially for young prospects like Cremarosa going through their first full seasons.

So after Cremarosa’s bold declaration, Higgins texted Minor League pitching coordinator Buddy Carlyle to make sure he could send his starter back out for the eighth inning. They agreed he’d call Carlyle if Cremarosa still had a no-hit bid heading into the ninth.

“That’s when I knew there was something special going on,” Higgins said. “It just kept going, kept going, kept going.”

Mendick said he realized Cremarosa could go the distance after four or five innings, noting his efficiency and dominance. The righty has an advanced ability to read hitters’ swings and adjust accordingly with a deep arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a curveball, a sweeper and a cutter/slider. On this particular night, he had everything working while almost perfectly placing his fastball at -- and just above -- the top of the strike zone.

“He kind of leaned on his skill-set, the stuff hung around, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” Higgins said.

The no-hitter became a real possibility in Cremarosa’s mind after the seventh, although he didn’t know about Higgins seeking permission until well after the game was over. Nor did he realize he was nearing the end of his outing, regardless, when he struck out Tate Southisene for the final out. Mendick had a reliever warming up in the bullpen, just in case.

“The last out he recorded was his last hitter,” Mendick said. “He had no idea. It worked out perfectly.”

After finishing the job, Cremarosa took a deep exhale, saw his teammates charging toward him and … ran away. He backpedaled, trotted and fled toward the outfield grass, where his teammates finally caught up with him and jumped around him.

“I’ve been part of a couple dogpiles, and nothing good comes out of them,” he said, laughing. “I’ve seen broken hands, bloody feet. I wanted no part of that.”

When the celebration moved to the clubhouse, though, suffice it to say Cremarosa enjoyed his accomplishment.

“Oh, it was a party,” Cremarosa said, laughing. “That’s all I can say on that.”