ANAHEIM, Calif. — Athletics starter J.T. Ginn took a no-hitter and a one-run lead into the ninth inning Monday night.
Six pitches later, he walked off the mound with a heartbreaking loss.
Adam Frazier lined a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth and Zach Neto followed with a two-run homer that gave the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 victory, snapping a six-game skid while stunning Ginn and the A’s.
“Obviously, a tough game,” Ginn said. “Just keep your head up and keep moving forward. It’s just the nature of the game that we play. I attack the zone and I live with that.”
Frazier lined an 0-2 pitch over shortstop for a clean single, giving Los Angeles just its third baserunner. Neto then drove a 2-0 sinker to center field for his eighth home run of the season.
“Just a crazy game to play,” Ginn said. “I fell behind 2-0, threw a good sinker, and he was waiting on it and put a good swing on it. So, tip your cap to him.”
Ginn (2-2) was trying for the first no-hitter in the majors since Shota Imanaga combined with two Chicago Cubs relievers for a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, 2024. The previous pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter was Blake Snell for the San Francisco Giants against Cincinnati on Aug. 2, 2024.
Ginn threw a career-high 105 pitches, 64 for strikes. He struck out 10, walked one and hit Neto with a pitch in the sixth.
The right-hander from Mississippi, who turns 27 on Wednesday, struck out the side in the seventh and finished the inning with his 10th strikeout — setting a career high.
“J.T. dominated all night. For him to walk off the mound with a loss there, it hurts, obviously,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “He pitched probably the best game he’s pitched in his big league career, and to have an opportunity to get a no-hitter, and two hits later you walk off with a loss, it’s tough. I had full confidence in him going out there in that inning at 100 pitches and trying to get it done. It just didn’t work out.”
Pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler put the A’s ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. Angels reliever Chase Silseth got slugger Nick Kurtz to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
It was the 30th career start for Ginn, who made his major league debut in August 2024.
“He did such a phenomenal job all night keeping guys off balance. His stuff was nasty. Just kind of rolling, you know, and then it’s gut-wrenching stuff in the ninth for it to end that way. It definitely sucks right now,” Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers said. “Baseball will humble you in all sorts of ways. … It’s going to be hard to flush this one.”
The Angels haven’t been no-hit since Sept. 11, 1999 — the longest active streak in the majors.
