White Sox ace Giolito throws no-hitter vs. Pirates

Two years ago, Lucas Giolito posted the highest ERA in MLB among qualified pitchers. Now, he's on top of the baseball world.

Giolito, the Chicago White Sox ace, threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday.

"It's crazy, man," Giolito said postgame, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "The weird thing is I always envisioned I'd throw a no-hitter. If you asked me in 2018, I'd say, 'What the hell you talking about.'"

Giolito realized he could get the no-hitter after completing the seventh inning.

"(After the seventh I thought) I've got six outs, we're going to make this happen," he said, per James Fegan of The Athletic. "I looked at who was coming up and was like, 'This is very much in the realm of possibility.'"

It's the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history, and the first since Phil Humber's perfect game in 2012. The 19 no-hitters are now the most by an American League franchise, breaking a tie with the Boston Red Sox; only the Los Angeles Dodgers (23) have thrown more.

"I don't have any words. I want to cry," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said, according to 670 The Score. "I'm really, really happy for him."

Giolito struck out 13 Pirates on 101 pitches in the 4-0 win, and only allowed three fly-ball outs. His 13 punchouts are the most by any White Sox pitcher in a no-hitter, according to MLB Stats. Giolito got Pirates hitters to swing and miss 30 times, the second-most swing-and-misses in a no-hitter since 1988, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. His only blemish was a fourth-inning walk issued to Erik Gonzalez.

The closest Pittsburgh came to a hit was in the seventh, when Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu teamed up for a spectacular play to nab Bryan Reynolds at first base by a half-step.

For Giolito, the no-hitter is another chapter in his remarkable career turnaround. Once a former top prospect who struggled at the major-league level, the 26-year-old rebounded last year to become an ace for the White Sox. This season, he owns a 3.09 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 58 strikeouts through his first seven starts.

"I kind of had to get my ass kicked, kind of had to learn from failure, and go and make the changes I needed to make to realize my true potential," he said of his past struggles, according to Chris Emma of 670 The Score.

The White Sox provided Giolito with most of the offense he'd need in a three-run second inning, which included RBI singles from Anderson and Eloy Jimenez. Catcher James McCann added a sacrifice fly in the third.

For the Pirates, this is the 13th time they've been on the losing end of a no-hitter, and the first since 2015. It's also the first time they've been no-hit by an American League team.

This was the fourth no-hitter thrown at Guaranteed Rate Field, which opened in 1991.