The White Sox had a combined no-hitter through seven innings Tuesday night in Chicago in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Phillies. Brandon Marsh broke it up with a leadoff double in the eighth inning. Still, the outing was notable because starter Lucas Giolito was pulled with a no-hitter through six innings.
Sometimes, MLB managers feel like they can't take a starting pitcher out when he's in the midst of a no-hitter. The practice has gotten a bit more relaxed in recent years -- notably with guys like Dodgers manager Dave Roberts -- and White Sox first-year manager Pedro Grifol pulled the plug without much visible angst in this one.
Giolito got through his six innings without having allowed a hit, walking Kyle Schwarber and hitting Garrett Stubbs with a pitch. The only problem moving forward was he needed 102 pitches to get through those six innings. That's a heavy pitch count through six and it's still only April. He threw 108 pitches last time out, but with three innings remaining he was going to be stretched far beyond what should be happening right now. Remember, Giolito already has a Tommy John surgery under his belt.
Also, it's possible the fact that Giolito has a no-hitter to his name helped make the decision easier. On Aug. 25, 2020, he only needed 101 pitches to get through his nine no-hit innings against the Pirates while striking out 13 and walking one.
It was Kendall Graveman who relieved Giolito for the seventh inning and he recorded a 1-2-3 inning. Aaron Bummer came on next and allowed the Marsh double.
Bigger picture, it was the second-straight encouraging outing for Giolito. Coming off a rough 2021 season, Giolito had a so-so start in Houston followed by a disaster in Pittsburgh (4 IP, 12 H, 7 ER), but last time out he held the Twins to one run on five hits in six innings and now had the excellent outing against the Phillies. He had seven strikeouts against his one walk.