Update #3 (6:19 PM ET): Freeland struck out Adam Engel to begin the ninth inning, but Melky Cabrera broke up the no-hitter with a line drive single to left field. Quite an admirable effort from Freeland. Manager Bud Black removed Freeland from the game at that point, as the lefty had thrown 126 pitches.
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Update #2 (6:02 PM ET): The Rockies tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 10-0 lead. In the top of the eighth, Freeland got Yolmer Sanchez to fly out to left field on a great play by Gerardo Parra, then struck out Omar Navaez and Willy Garcia. Freeland has one inning to go and he’s at 116 pitches.
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Update (5:26 PM ET): Freeland issued back-to-back walks to Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier on 13 pitches to begin the top of the seventh inning. He was able to bounce back and induce a ground ball 6-4-3 double play from Avisail Garcia, then got Tim Anderson to fly out to end the inning. He’s at 99 pitches through seven hitless innings.
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Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland is three innings away from a no-hitter at Coors Field. Through six innings thus far on Sunday afternoon against the White Sox, Freeland has limited the opposition to a walk and a hit batsman while tossing up zeroes on the scoreboard. He has struck out six White Sox on 76 pitches.
Freeland, a 24-year-old rookie born and raised in Colorado, entered Sunday’s action with a 4.09 ERA and a 56/38 K/BB ratio over 99 innings.
The Rockies have given Freeland seven runs of support, scoring twice in the second inning and five times in the sixth. Charlie Blackmon hit a solo homer in the sixth and Pat Valaika hit a three-run shot shortly thereafter.
To date, only one Rockies pitcher has thrown a no-hitter: Ubaldo Jimenez on April 17, 2010 against the Braves. The White Sox were last victims of a no-hitter on May 3, 2011 against the Twins’ Francisco Liriano. The last interleague no-hitter was thrown nearly two years ago by the Astros’ Mike Fiers against the Dodgers.
We’ll keep you updated as Freeland attempts to navigate the final three innings.
