Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn loses no-hitter in 9th inning, then loses 2-1 to the Angels – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
Anaheim, Calif. – Athletics starter J.T. Ginn carried a no-hitter and a slim lead deep into Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. Eight innings of sharp pitching had left the right-hander on the verge of history. One inning later, the opportunity had vanished.
The collapse came quickly. Adam Frazier opened the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff single, and Zach Neto followed with a two-run homer that flipped the 1-0 score into a 2-1 Angels victory. Ginn walked off the mound after 105 pitches, his first career no-hitter attempt undone in six throws.
Eight Innings of Command
Ginn struck out 10 batters and allowed just one walk while hitting only one batter. He retired the side in order in the seventh on three straight strikeouts, pushing his total to a career high. The sinker stayed effective, and the Athletics defense behind him made every play required to keep the line score clean through eight.
Entering the ninth, Ginn had thrown 100 pitches. Manager Mark Kotsay stayed with his starter rather than turning to the bullpen. The decision reflected full confidence in the 26-year-old right-hander from Mississippi, who was making just his 30th major-league start.
Two Pitches That Changed Everything
Frazier lined an 0-2 pitch over shortstop for the Angels’ third baserunner of the night. Neto then drove a 2-0 sinker to center field for his eighth home run of the season. The sequence erased the no-hitter and the lead in the span of two at-bats.
“Obviously a tough game,” Ginn said afterward. “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.” He added that falling behind 2-0 on Neto allowed the hitter to sit on the pitch he wanted.
Manager’s Perspective and What Might Have Been
Kotsay had left-hander Hogan Harris warming in the bullpen and planned to use him against Mike Trout, who was due up next. The manager hoped Ginn could induce a ground ball from Neto instead. “Hindsight’s always 20-20,” Kotsay said. “It easily could have went the other direction.”
Earlier in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler had given Oakland a 1-0 lead with an RBI single. The Athletics loaded the bases but could not add another run when Nick Kurtz grounded into a double play. That missed chance left Ginn with minimal margin for error in the final frame.
Baseball’s Unforgiving Nature
Catcher Shea Langeliers described the night as gut-wrenching after Ginn had kept hitters off balance with nasty stuff. “Baseball will humble you in all sorts of ways,” Langeliers said. “It’s going to be hard to flush this one.”
Ginn became the sixth pitcher since at least 1974 to allow no hits or runs through eight innings and still take the loss. The Angels, who have not been no-hit since 1999, extended the longest active streak in the majors. For the Athletics, the most recent no-hitter remains Mike Fiers’ complete-game effort in 2019.
The defeat snapped a six-game losing streak for Los Angeles while leaving Oakland to absorb another narrow setback. Ginn, who turns 27 on Wednesday, will carry the memory of the near miss into his next start.