Lucas Giolito threw some perhaps unintentional shade at the Pittsburgh Pirates after no-hitting them on Tuesday.
Giolito pitched a complete game shutout as part of his no-hitter in the Chicago White Sox’s 4-0 win over the Pirates. He allowed just one baserunner the entire game — a walk in the fourth.
Giolito was asked in a postgame interview with CSN Chicago when he started thinking about the no-hitter. He said after the seventh inning, and that Pittsburgh’s lineup was part of the reason.
“After the seventh. Six more outs. Looking at who I was facing, it became very very very possible. And we were able to get it done,” Giolito said.
After the seventh, Giolito faced Gregory Polanco, JT Riddle, Cole Tucker, Jarrod Dyson, John Ryan Murphy, and Erik Gonzalez. Gonzalez is the only hitter in the Pirates’ lineup with a batting average over .230 and slugging percentage over .400. Of the six batters Giolito referenced, four have a batting average under .200.
Throwing a no-hitter at MLB level is a major accomplishment and never easy no matter whom you are facing. But the Pirates’ weak lineup certainly helped, and it definitely gave Giolito some confidence. Some great defense at the end also helped.
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