15 stats, facts from Rod¨®n's riveting no-hitter
Andrew Simon
@AndrewSimonMLB
Sarah Langs
@SlangsOnSportsIn a rotation headlined by Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and Dallas Keuchel, Carlos Rodón might not have been the leading candidate to throw a no-hitter for the White Sox in 2021. But on Wednesday night in Chicago, the left-hander did just that, coming within one ninth-inning hit-by-pitch of a perfect game in the White Sox 8-0 win over the Indians.
At one point, this sort of performance was expected from Rod¨®n, a celebrated collegiate star whom the White Sox selected third overall in the 2014 Draft. But despite making it to the Majors by the following April, Rod¨®n¡¯s MLB career hadn¡¯t quite taken off in the way many projected.
Entering Wednesday, Rod¨®n had a 4.10 career ERA in 98 career games (93 starts), with no shutouts and only one complete game -- which came back in his rookie year. Even that was an eight-inning performance in a loss, meaning Rod¨®n had never recorded an out in the ninth inning.
Non-tendered and then re-signed to a one-year deal by the White Sox this past offseason, the injury-plagued lefty had thrown just 47 1/3 innings between the start of 2019 and Wednesday, thanks in large part to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Then he threw nearly one-fifth that many innings Wednesday alone, while making history.
Here are 15 more amazing facts to know about Rod¨®n¡¯s no-no:
? This was the 20th White Sox no-hitter, the most of any American League team. The only team with more is the Dodgers (23), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last White Sox no-hitter was the first of the 2020 season, Giolito¡¯s on Aug. 25 against the Pirates.
? Rod¨®n missed a perfect game by one batter: a ninth-inning, one-out hit-by-pitch of Roberto P¨¦rez. It¡¯s just the sixth time in the Modern Era (since 1900) that a pitcher has missed a perfect game by one hit-by-pitch, according to Elias, and the second this season, along with Joe Musgrove. The only others to lose that perfecto on a ninth-inning HBP are Max Scherzer on June 20, 2015, and Hooks Wiltse on July 4, 1908.
? With Rod¨®n falling just short, MLB still has not seen a perfect game since F¨¦lix Hern¨¢ndez threw one for Seattle against Tampa Bay on Aug. 15, 2012. That¡¯s the longest drought since more than 13 years elapsed from May 8, 1968 (Catfish Hunter) to May 15, 1981 (Len Barker).
? It¡¯s only mid-April and we¡¯ve already seen two no-hitters. It¡¯s just the eighth time we¡¯ve had multiple April no-hitters, and the first time since 1994 (Kent Mercker, Scott Erickson). There have never been more than two no-hitters in April. And if this feels like a fast start to the season, consider this: April 14 is the earliest calendar date by which we¡¯ve had two no-hitters in any season in MLB history.
? This is the second time there has been a no-hitter on April 14, and the other also belonged to the White Sox. Eddie Cicotte no-hit the St. Louis Browns on April 14, 1917. That was the sixth no-hitter in franchise history.
? Musgrove threw his no-hitter on April 9, meaning that just four days passed between the last two no-hitters in baseball. As The Athletic¡¯s Jayson Stark noted, that¡¯s the fewest days between no-hitters league-wide since 2011, when Francisco Liriano threw one on May 3 and Justin Verlander followed up with his own on May 7.
? Rod¨®n was the third overall pick in the 2014 Draft out of North Carolina State. He joins Verlander (No. 2 pick), Josh Beckett (No. 2 pick) and former White Sox righty Philip Humber (No. 3) as the only top-three Draft picks to throw a no-hitter since the Draft began in 1965, according to Elias.
? White Sox catcher Zack Collins was making just his 15th career start behind the plate, in his 16th overall game at catcher. His 15 games caught before catching this no-hitter are tied for the fifth-fewest before catching a no-hitter in the Modern Era (since 1900), according to Elias. In 1969, Don Bryant also caught a no-hitter in his 16th career game at the position. The four individuals to do it after fewer games: Curt Blefary in 1968 (fourth career game at catcher), Jerry Grote in 1964 (fifth), Ferrell Anderson in 1946 (seventh) and Harry Barton in 1905 (eighth).
? Rod¨®n threw 57 fastballs out of his 114 pitches (50%) and averaged 95.0 mph. Amazingly, his three fastest pitches of the night all came in the ninth inning. Rod¨®n threw a 97.9 mph pitch that P¨¦rez fouled off before the hit-by-pitch and then threw heaters of 98.8 mph and 97.5 to the final batter, Jordan Luplow. Both were called balls but showed that Rod¨®n was emptying the tank as he neared the finish line.
? In the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), only two left-handed starters have ever thrown a pitch 98.8 mph or faster in the ninth inning of a game or later. CC Sabathia did it once, to his final batter in a shutout of Tampa Bay in 2011. And James Paxton did in twice, to his final batter in a no-hitter at Toronto in '18.
? Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez hit a liner to left in the seventh inning that had a 110.6 mph exit velocity and was barreled, with an .820 expected batting average that was the highest of any Indians batted ball in the game. After the game Rod¨®n talked to NBC Sports Chicago¡¯s Jason Benetti about that Ram¨ªrez at-bat, noting the strong contact, and said that after that out was made, ¡°That¡¯s when I started kinda feeling it,¡± with regard to the no-hitter.
However, Ram¨ªrez¡¯s drive was the exception. Rod¨®n allowed hard contact (95-plus mph) on just seven of the 20 batted balls against him, and a .300-plus xBA on only five of 20.
? On the Cleveland side, Indians¡¯ starter Zach Plesac recorded just two outs, not making it out of the first inning. It¡¯s just the sixth time the opposing starter did not make it out of the first inning when a no-hitter was thrown, according to Elias, and first time since Mike Leake on July 12, 2019, when the Angels had a combined no-no against the Mariners.
? Tony La Russa managed his first no-hitter since Bud Smith¡¯s in 2001 with the Cardinals. There was a span of 19 years, 223 days between that and Rod¨®n¡¯s. That¡¯s the third-longest span between no-hitters managed, trailing only Connie Mack (29 years, 14 days from 1916 to 1945 no-hitters) and Leo Durocher (23 years, 118 days from 1946 to 1969 no-hitters).
? La Russa managed Smith's no-hitter with the Cardinals as well as Jos¨¦ Jim¨¦nez's in 1999. He also managed Dave Stewart's no-hitter with the A's in 1990. He's the third manager to manage a no-hitter with three or more franchises, joining Whitey Herzog (Royals, Cardinals, Rangers) and Fielder Jones (White Sox, Browns, Terriers).
? This was the first time a Terry Francona-managed team was ever no-hit. Francona managed 3,146 regular-season games before the no-hitter, the third-most of any manager before being no-hit for the first time. Only Bucky Harris (3,661) and Walter Alston (3,610) managed more games before their teams were no-hit, according to Elias. It is worth noting, of course, that Alston managed opposite Don Larsen¡¯s perfect game in 1956, but that was in the World Series.