SF Giants pitching prospects throw a combined no-hitter at High-A Eugene
A quartet of SF Giants pitching prospects teamed up in a historic performance on Tuesday night. Right-handed pitchers Hayden Birdsong, Mat Olsen, William Kempner, and Sam Delaplane combined to throw a nine-inning no-hitter with the Eugene Emeralds-the Giants' High-A affiliate-in a 3-0 victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils. It was the first Emeralds no-hitter since they became a Giants affiliate in 2021.
Birdsong got things started with an excellent outing. He only needed 72 pitches to rack up 11 strikeouts across five innings of work with just one walk. The Giants drafted Birdsong in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and he has been one of the most impressive members of the team's class. Birdsong dominated at Single-A San Jose to start the season and was recently promoted to High-A. Between both levels, Birdsong has a 2.91 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 28 walks in 58.2 innings pitched. In Giants Baseball Insider's midseason farm system update, Birdsong ranked as the 26th and 32nd-best prospect in the organization by two respective lists.
Olsen replaced Birdsong to start the sixth inning and found a way to be even more dominant than the Emeralds' starter. Olsen struck out five of the six batters he faced in two perfect innings of work. The Giants drafted Olsen in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Central Arizona College. Olsen has spent the entire season at High-A, racking up 50 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched (24 appearances) with a 3.90 ERA.
Kempner kept Olsen's trend of perfect innings going, striking out two in a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Kempner, the Giants' third-round pick last year, struggled with consistency early this season as a starter at Single-A but has been dominant since he was moved to the bullpen full-time. In 10 outings since the start of June, Kempner has only allowed two earned runs in 10 innings with 14 strikeouts and four walks.
Finally, just three outs away from the historic achievement, Emeralds manager Carlos Valderrama turned to the most experienced member of his pitching staff, Sam Delaplane. Delaplane loaded the bases with two walks and a hit by pitch but induced a game-ending 1-2-3 double play to escape the jam without allowing a hit or a run and recorded his first save of the season.
Acquired off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in 2021, Delaplane has one of the most devastating sliders in the Giants organization but has struggled to regain his command after a pair of elbow surgeries. This season, Delaplane has a 3.71 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 20 walks in 17 innings pitched between Rookie League and High-A.
