SAN FRANCISCO -- Dave Stieb still stands alone, right where he’s been for 36 years.
Another heartbreak now lives on his doorstep, another no-hitter that fell just short of giving Stieb the company that’s long been overdue. This time, it’s Dylan Cease left with the memory of what could have been and what almost was.
When Cease burst out of the Blue Jays’ dugout for the ninth inning of Wednesday afternoon’s 10-0 victory over the Giants, his no-hitter still alive, he was already at a career-high 115 pitches. Three pitches later, Heliot Ramos lined a single back up the middle, ending Cease’s bid. Blue Jays and Giants fans, together, gave Cease a standing ovation as he walked off the field. It was one of the greatest pitching performances we’ve seen in a Blue Jays uniform, but again, it’s fallen so painfully short.
When Stieb finally got his no-hitter on September 2, 1990, it felt like he’d finally done the impossible. It was, and still is, the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history, but he’d come painfully close so many times before, tortured by ninth innings that just wouldn’t allow for history.
Stieb originally lost a perfect game and two no-hitters in heartbreaking fashion in 1988 and ‘89. All three ended with two outs in the ninth inning, making it so much sweeter when he finally reached that mountaintop. Roy Halladay, Brandon Morrow and Dustin McGowan have all lost no-hitters in the ninth inning, too, and Bowden Francis had two heartbreaks in late 2024.
What’s left is still a brilliant pitching performance by Cease, who already has a no-hitter to his name from his time with the Padres, even if this one won’t come with the label, the celebration and the memories. He’ll look back on a line of eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and three walks, but there’s that ‘1’ in the hits column.
At 106 pitches after the seventh inning, Cease walked back to the dugout twirling his right index finger, telling his manager and pitching coach that he could keep going. At 115 pitches after the eighth, it was undeniable. Cease had to have his shot. If this happened or fell apart on the doorstep, it would be his to own.
How in-the-zone was he? He had a question for Sportsnet field reporter Hazel Mae in his on-field interview after the game: "How many strikeouts did I have?"