Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease Falls Just Short of No‑Hit in Tight Contest with Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — Dylan Cease recognized that he was on the cusp of a no‑hit, and he was prepared to throw an unusually high pitch count to complete it.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed his willingness to let Cease continue the attempt.

‘He entered after the sixth inning and said, “I’ve got 120,” and after the seventh added, “I’ve got 130,”’ Schneider recalled.

Cease entered the ninth inning of Wednesday’s matchup with the Giants carrying the pursuit of a second career no‑hit, only to see Heliot Ramos end it with a line‑drive single to center.

After Ramos’ hit, Cease was removed from the game, receiving a standing ovation from the San Francisco crowd. Reliever Tyler Rogers entered and secured the final three outs on just four pitches, as Toronto posted a 10‑0 victory.

The 30‑year‑old Cease threw a career‑high 118 pitches — 81 of them for strikes — aiming to deliver the first solo no‑hit since 2024. He recorded 11 strikeouts, raising his American League‑leading total to 148.

‘I kept telling myself, “Whatever it takes,”’ Cease explained. “In my mind I was targeting around 130 pitches.”

Schneider noted that he kept Cease in the game due to his proven durability and to allow him additional rest before the upcoming All‑Star break.

‘I’m a fan of baseball,’ Schneider said. “If a pitcher has a shot at a no‑hit, I believe you let him pursue it and adjust afterward.”

‘If I can give a player that opportunity, I’ll do it as often as possible — provided I’m permitted to,’ he added.

Cease previously threw a no‑hit for the San Diego Padres on July 25, 2024, in Washington. He felt his performance on Wednesday surpassed his outing against the Nationals.

‘I was really commanding the ball and mixing my pitches well,’ Cease said. “I’m just glad it wasn’t Luis (Arraez) who broke it up again.”

When pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Cease saw a no‑hit bid dissolve on September 3, 2022, with two outs in the ninth when Luis Arraez singled for Minnesota. Arraez, now San Francisco’s second baseman and a three‑time batting champion, was the next hitter after Ramos.

Eight days after Cease’s prior no‑hit, Blake Snell tossed his own for the Giants in Cincinnati.

Since then, two combined no‑hit games have occurred — including a March effort by Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa of the Houston Astros — but no individual pitcher has achieved a solo no‑hit, as managers often pull pitchers prematurely due to pitch‑count and injury concerns.

He maintained high velocity in the ninth, delivering two 97‑mph fastballs to Ramos before surrendering the hit on a 96‑mph sinker.

‘I suspect he’ll be expecting a slider at some point,’ Cease said. “I planned to follow a few fastballs and a sinker to catch him off guard.”

‘I wish I’d gotten it in a bit more, but a quality batter got a hit. That’s baseball.’

The Blue Jays have not recorded a no‑hit for nearly 36 years, the last coming when Dave Stieb accomplished the feat on September 2, 1990.

Including the postseason, 35 major‑league pitchers have thrown multiple no‑hitters, with Mike Fiers of the Athletics being the most recent on May 7, 2019.

Cease retired the first 14 batters of the San Francisco lineup before walking Willy Adames with two outs in the fifth. He also issued walks to Drew Gilbert to start the sixth and Rafael Devers with one out in the seventh.

Toronto’s defense made two key plays to preserve the bid. With two outs in the seventh, Adames hit a grounder up the middle, and second baseman Ernie Clement ranged left, made a clean pickup, and threw to first.

The eighth inning began with Bryce Eldridge launching a deep left‑center drive; center fielder Daulton Varsho sprinted and made an outstanding catch before colliding with the wall.

Cease subsequently struck out Gilbert and pinch‑hitter Drew Cavanaugh.

‘When Daulton made that play,’ Cease said, “it felt exactly like a no‑hit unfolds. At that moment I thought, ‘We’ve got a real shot today.’”

Ramos commented that Cease “had it going today… we should have attacked the zone more aggressively, but ultimately he’s a really good pitcher.”

‘He’s Cy Young‑caliber,’ Ramos added.

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