On a team laden with pitching talent, this was the most unlikely of feats. On Friday night, Jonathan Sanchez of the SF Giants threw a 8-0 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres.
Why unlikely? Jonathan Sanchez had been pulled from the rotation after June 22. He had not won since May 25. He was 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA this season. He started Friday only because Randy Johnson, whose turn he took, injured his shoulder Sunday.
That highlights, also, the huge amount of pitching talent the Giants have, many of whom would be considered to be more likely to throw a no-hitter. Well, perhaps not Barry Zito, a former Cy Young winner who has not performed to the extent that fans would like since coming to SF with a huge contract.
But there's 300-game winner Randy Johnson, last year's Cy Young winner and 10-game winner Tim Lincecum, and 10-game winner Matt Cain. With that starting rotation, who could have expected Jonathan Sanchez to throw a no-hitter.
Not only that, if it were not for an error by third baseman Juan Uribe, Jonathan Sanchez would have had the rarest of rate, a perfect game. Sorry to say, it was an easy grounder.
It was the first no-hitter by a Giant since John (The Count) Montefusco's in Atlanta on Sept. 29, 1976, the first ever at AT&T Park at China Basin, the 17th in franchise history and the first in the majors since the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano no-hit Houston last season.
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