Arrieta no-hitter as Chicago Cubs blank LA Dodgers

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, the sixth no-hitter in Major League Baseball this season.

Arrieta's pitching masterclass -- the first Cubs no-hitter in seven years -- made the 29-year-old the major leagues leader in victories.

The 6ft 4in right hander allowed only two baserunners, a walk and an error, on his way to collecting 12 strikeouts from 116 pitches.

It was the first Cubs no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano achieved the feat in 2008 against the Houston Astros.

Arrieta completed his landmark night in the ninth inning, striking out third baseman Justin Turner, shortstop Jimmy Rollins and second baseman Chase Utley.

"I was just making pitches, and if it happened, it happened," Arrieta told ESPN after the final out. "I was able to finish it off. It's a great feeling.

"Everybody who plays this game wants to accomplish great things. You think about that all the time as a kid. You see other people do it, and you want to be a part of something like that. It's hard to put that into words right now."

It was the second time in 10 days that the Dodgers have been on the wrong end of a no-hitter after Astros star Mike Fiers achieved the feat on August 21 in Houston.

Arrieta joins San Francisco Giants' Chris Heston, the Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer, the Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Hamels, the Seattle Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma and Fiers as pitchers to throw a no-hitter.

"I think it'll be even more special the longer it sets in, but it's a good feeling," Arrieta said.

"I've come a long way. I just look forward to keep getting better, building, being a good teammate and hopefully getting to the postseason with this group of guys."

Arrieta, who has come close to recording a no-hitter before, admitted the experiences of previous near-misses had helped him close out his performance.

"In the eighth inning was when it really started to become a reality," Arrieta said.

"Everything happens so fast. The sequences are happening so quickly. I've been close a couple of other times, so as the game wore on, I tried to use those past experiences to my advantage, try to stay calm and maintain the focus."

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had no complaints about his side's inability to cope with Arrieta's performance.

"You can't say our at-bats were bad," Mattingly said. "This guy, his stuff was really good tonight. It's really good all the time."
Source: AFP