Giants’ Alex Cobb Loses No-Hitter With Two Outs in Ninth Inning

Cobb came so close to firing the fifth no-hitter of the season, and the first for the Giants in nearly a decade.

Giants starter Alex Cobb was one out away from throwing the 18th no-hitter in club history. Then, Spencer Steer crashed the party.

Steer roped a double into the right-center field gap with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, spoiling Cobb’s no-hit bid and disappointing the crowd at Oracle Park. Steer’s double also denied Cobb a shutout, as it scored Nick Senzel, who reached first base on a walk two batters earlier.

Cobb would have logged his second shutout of the season. He was also in line to have San Francisco’s first no-hitter since Chris Heston’s on June 9, 2015. Heston’s no-hitter marked the fourth year in a row a Giants pitcher had thrown one, following Matt Cain’s perfect game in ’12 and Tim Lincecum’s no-hitters in ’13 and ’14.

Spencer Steer ends Alex Cobb's no-hitter with two outs in the 9th 👀

(via @BallySportsCIN)pic.twitter.com/OXcgae0o6F

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 30, 2023

Cobb ended up finishing the game, striking out Elly De La Cruz in six pitches following Steer’s double. He ended the night with eight strikeouts and one walk on 131 pitches, the most by any pitcher this season.