White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito on Tuesday night against the Pirates authored the first no-hitter of the 2020 season and the 19th no-hitter in franchise history (CHW 4, PIT 0). Along the way, Giolito struck out 13, which is the most strikeouts in any White Sox no-hitter. The final out, though, came on a liner that for an instant looked like it might fall in. Lucky for Giolito, the White Sox, and the forces of history, though, Adam Engel was on the case.
Here's a look:
The final out of Giolito’s no-hitter!
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) August 26, 2020
(Via @whitesox)
pic.twitter.com/aegMbVm1L1
As you can see, catcher James McCann wanted that outside, 0-2 fastball a bit more up than where Giolito spotted it, and Erik Gonzalez was able to put good opposite-field wood on it. Gonzalez's line drive left the bat at a healthy 102.6 mph, and as you can see Engel had to make an urgent snare in right. That is a hit 85% of the time, according to Statcast guru David Adler. It's not the most highlight-worthy save of a no-hitter you'll see, but the speed and trajectory of the ball off Gonzalez's bat made it a challenging, pressure play.
Hey, with 13 strikeouts against only one walk Giolito was entitled to some solid glove-work and a bit of luck behind him. And he got it at the most crucial moment.