» Giants’ Lefthander Sanchez No-Hits Padres

Giants’ Lefthander Sanchez No-Hits Padres

The San Francisco Giants registered their 1st no-hitter in 33 years as
26 year old lefthander Jonathan Sanchez tossed a near-perfect game against the San Diego Padres, only marred by an eighth inning fielding error at 3rd base. Sanchez and the Giants shut out the Padres on Friday by an 8-0 score.

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley reports:

It was the Giants’ 13th no-hitter and first since John Montefusco did it on Sept. 29, 1976, at Atlanta. Their last one in San Francisco came when Ed Halicki beat the New York Mets in the second game of a doubleheader on Aug. 24, 1975.

Sanchez’s dad, Sirgfredo, watched nervously from the stands, bouncing and biting his nails, then scurried down to the dugout to be among the first to congratulate the pitcher.

“Right now I’m just going to go home and hang out with my dad,” Sanchez said. “I was pumped that he was here watching the game.”

Sanchez almost lost his no-hit bid in the ninth, but Gold Glove center fielder Aaron Rowand saved the gem with a leaping grab at the center-field fence to rob pinch-hitter Edgar Gonzalez for the second out.

“I was going to go up and over and land on the other side of the fence if I had to, to try to make the catch,” Rowand said.

The 26-year-old Sanchez (3-8) returned to the rotation after a nearly three-week demotion to the bullpen—and only got the call because 303-game winner Randy Johnson went on the disabled list this week with a shoulder injury.

With his father and a friend cheering from the stands, Sanchez threw a called third strike past Everth Cabrera to finish his first career complete game.

Sanchez struck out 11, walked noone and threw 110 pitches in his 1st career shut out and complete game.

San Francisco Chronicle sports writer Henry Schulman adds;

Jonathan Sanchez, a 26-year-old left-hander who until this night was the personification of pitching promise unfulfilled. Now, his name is etched forever on the list of this franchise’s great achievements.

And across America today, people will look at a staff that features Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Randy Johnson and say, Jonathan Sanchez?

“If you look at this staff he wouldn’t be the one you’d pick,” said manager Bruce Bochy, who has been like a ping-pong master bouncing Sanchez between the rotation and bullpen over the last three seasons, hoping his pitcher could find it.

Sanchez had not started a game since June 22 nor won since May 25. He was 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA this season…

“We had a toast in the clubhouse after the game, and Sanchy said, ‘I don’t want to go to the ‘pen after this start,’ ” Bochy said.