A most unlikely unlikely no-hitter
In return to rotation, Sanchez throws first Giants gem since 1976
SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
As long as bats and balls connect on warm summer evenings, baseball never will cease to amaze.
The Giants' 33-year no-hitter drought ended at China Basin on Friday night, and the pitcher who threw the nine innings of brilliance was not a Cy Young Award winner, nor a 300-game winner, nor a pitcher with a nine-figure contract. It was a pitcher so bad this year he was banished to the bullpen last month, a man who had not thrown a complete game in 50 big-league starts.
It was Jonathan Sanchez, a 26-year-old left-hander who until this night was the personification of pitching promise unfulfilled. Now, his name is etched forever on the list of this franchise's great achievements.
In an 8-0 victory, with his father watching him start a major-league game for the first time, Sanchez no-hit the San Diego Padres and nearly had a perfect game. The only baserunner was Chase Headley, who reached on an error by third baseman Juan Uribe with one out in the eighth inning.
It was the first no-hitter by a Giant since John Montefusco's in Atlanta on Sept. 29, 1976, the first ever at China Basin, the 17th in franchise history and the first in the majors since the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano no-hit Houston last season.
And across America today, people will look at a staff that features Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Randy Johnson and say, Jonathan Sanchez?
"If you look at this staff he wouldn't be the one you'd pick," said manager Bruce Bochy, who has been like a ping-pong master bouncing Sanchez between the rotation and bullpen over the last three seasons, hoping his pitcher could find it.
Sanchez had not started a game since June 22 nor won since May 25. He was 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA this season and started Friday only because Johnson, whose turn he took, injured his shoulder Sunday.
"We had a toast in the clubhouse after the game, and Sanchy said, 'I don't want to go to the 'pen after this start,' " Bochy said.
Afterward, Sanchez expressed his greatest satisfaction that he got to share this moment with his father Sigfredo, who flew in from Puerto Rico to watch this game after Jonathan's brother suggested he go.
"I'm so proud that he was here with me," Sanchez said.
Sigfredo Sanchez was more nervous than his son, saying, "I bit my fingernails and was having a heart attack. I'm very proud."
Sanchez walked none and struck out a career-high 11, including Everth Cabrera to end the game. Sanchez retired the first 22 Padres before Uribe muffed Headley's eight-inning chopper and could not pick up the ball. Uribe had started the game at second base and moved to third an inning earlier when Pablo Sandoval left with back pain.
Sanchez said the error did not rattle him at all.
"That's part of the game," he said. "I just had to go keep pitching and forget about that."
He did, retiring the final two Padres in the eighth. A crowd of 30,298 stood for the entire ninth inning and truly started to believe when Sanchez retired the first hitter, Luis Rodriguez, on a grounder to Edgar Renteria at short. Then came the biggest test, a long drive to center by Edgar Gonzalez.
Aaron Rowand saved the no-no when he banged against the wall to catch the ball near the top.
"I was going to go over and land on the other side of the fence if I had to make a catch," Rowand said. "Fortunately, I didn't have to."
Sanchez pointed toward Rowand in appreciation. Rowand pointed back.
The place was in pandemonium when Cabrera hit a foul ball for strike two. Sanchez then finished the no-hitter with a curveball that Cabrera took for strike three.
Typifying the confidence Sanchez displayed all night, he said, "I knew I was going to get it when I got to (2-2). I threw the pitch and I got it."
Sanchez did not leap or scream. He merely raised his hands in joy and embraced catcher Eli Whiteside, who caught the game only because Bengie Molina had to rush to the hospital with his wife in labor.
The rest of the Giants then mobbed Sanchez along the first-base line.
"It was f- amazing," Lincecum said. "If you can print that, print it, because that's what it was. He showed a lot of character, especially with all the movement he's made."
Granted, the 51-loss Padres are not the gold standard of offense on which to judge a pitcher, but that is beside the point.
Sanchez was in complete control, staying on top of his pitches so they would not rise dangerously into the zone. He threw 28 strikes before his 10th ball and used his breaking pitches effectively, which the staff had been begging him to do.
The Padres also have some good hitters, including Adrian Gonzalez, an All-Star who has 24 home runs. When Sanchez struck out two to start the fifth inning, Gonzalez was his first victim. Sanchez also struck out two in the sixth inning and the side in the seventh.
Offense was not a concern for the Giants.
Rowand hit a two-run single to cap a four-run second inning and Sandoval, apparently seeing NL All-Star manager Charlie Manuel's face on every baseball, walloped a tape-measure homer with two aboard in the fifth inning to chase starter Josh Banks.
SF Giants no-hitters
No-hitters in San Francisco Giants franchise history (since 1958):
| Date | Pitcher | Opp | Score |
| 6/15/63 | Juan Marichal | vs. Hou | 1-0 |
| 9/17/68 | Gaylord Perry | vs. StL | 1-0 |
| 8/24/75 | Ed Halicki | vs. N.Y. | 6-0 |
| 9/29/76 | John Montefusco | at Atl | 9-0 |
| 7/10/09 | Jonathan Sanchez* | vs. SD | 8-0 |
* denotes left-hander
From: MLB.com
 San Diego (35-51) Lost 6 | San Francisco 8, San Diego 0 |  San Francisco (48-38) Won 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 7/10/09 | Recap: SD | SF | Gameday | Padres stats | Giants stats |
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