Dylan Cease No-Hitter: Padres' Luis Arráez Enjoys Full-Circle Moment

Dylan Cease rejoiced with his teammates Thursday in Washington, D.C., after Bryce Johnson caught the final lineout of the game, securing a no-hitter for Cease and the second no-hitter in Padres history.

Cease began jumping up and down while hugging catcher Luis Campusano, as the rest of his teammates stormed him in the infield.

D.C. stands for Dylan Cease pic.twitter.com/1X4d6FwpwW
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 25, 2024

Shortly after, Padres second baseman Luis Arráez handed Cease the ball from his final out of the day. It produced a full-circle moment for the two players, as Cease came within one out of a no-hitter back in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox.

That near no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins was stopped short by Arráez himself — he earned a single with two outs in the ninth inning in what could have been the Twins' final at bat, as noted by 97.3 The Fan's Sammy Levitt.

Dylan Cease came just 1 out away from a no-hitter with the White Sox in 2022. Luis Arraez broke it up with a single in the 9th inning.

So who was there to give Cease the ball from his final out of today’s no-no?

Luis Arraez. pic.twitter.com/8Cvt0EgdmU
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) July 25, 2024

Now, the two players are teammates, as Cease earns this special feat for the first time in his career while the Padres notched a 3-0 win and a sweep over the Washington Nationals. San Diego has won five straight.

The no-hitter continued the midseason momentum for Cease, who pitched his third straight game without allowing an earned run. This is the kind of pitching the Padres were seeking when they acquired Cease from the White Sox in a surprise trade before the season.

The 28-year-old right-hander has had some inconsistencies this year. He began strong with a 1.82 ERA through his first five starts as a Padre, but struggled in other games — including a 6-ER-in-3.2 inning outing in his first start of July.

Over the last three games, however, Cease has pitched the way he did for much of the 2022 season, when he posted a 2.20 ERA as one of the most promising MLB starters.

Overall, Cease has a 10-8 record this season with a 3.50 ERA, and leads MLB with 168 strikeouts.