Manning leads 3 Tigers pitchers to combined no-hitter vs. Blue Jays

Three Detroit Tigers pitchers combined to no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at Comerica Park.

Tigers starter Matt Manning led the way with 6.2 hitless frames before Jason Foley and Alex Lange closed out the 2-0 victory. Lange got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground out to third for the final out.

The result is the ninth no-hitter in Tigers history and MLB's 20th combined no-no (19th in the regular season). All eight of the Tigers' previous no-hitters were complete-game efforts.

"(No other) three guys I'd rather do it with," Manning told Bally Sports Detroit postgame in reference to Foley, Lange, and catcher Eric Haase. "These guys are special tonight, and it was awesome."

Manning, making just his third start since coming off the injured list, struck out five, walked three, and hit a batter during his 96-pitch outing. Tigers fans booed manager A.J. Hinch when he removed the 25-year-old after walking Cavan Biggio with two out in the seventh.

The 25-year-old revealed that he "had no idea" he was throwing a no-hitter when Hinch removed him and thought that the boos were from visiting Blue Jays fans in attendance, according to MLive's Evan Woodberry.

Foley and Lange quickly turned those boos into cheers. The two relievers nailed down the final outs without allowing a baserunner while combining for two strikeouts.

Hinch revealed that Manning pitched the latter portion of his start while dealing with a stiff back after tweaking something during the second inning, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

"He was laboring a ton. His stuff was getting worse," Hinch said. "I almost took him out after the fifth. I almost took him out after the sixth. I sent him out for the seventh. As soon as the runner got on, the responsibility shifts to the game."

The Tigers' trio was also helped out by their defense en route to the no-hitter. Bo Bichette's sixth-inning fly ball into no man's land was one of Toronto's best chances for a hit, but Javier Baez saved the day by ranging deep into left field for a nice running catch.

(Video source: MLB.com)

Haase, the Tigers' catcher, has now been behind the plate for two no-hitters during his career. The 30-year-old caught Spencer Turnbull's no-no in 2021.

All of the offense Detroit required came in the first inning after a nearly 90-minute rain delay. Spencer Torkelson's RBI double off Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman plated what would be the winning run. The next batter, Kerry Carpenter, ripped an RBI triple.

Gausman, the AL strikeout leader, scattered five total hits and two walks over his six innings while striking out seven en route to the loss.

For the Blue Jays, this marks the seventh time they've been no-hit in their history and the first time they've been victims of a combined effort. It's also the second time they've been no-hit by the Tigers, the first being Justin Verlander's second career no-no in 2011 at Rogers Centre.