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Alex Cobb nearly throws no-hitter in SF Giants 6-1 victory over Reds

SF Giants starter Alex Cobb nearly etched his name in the history books on Tuesday night, but had to settle for a great outing in a win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Marc Delucchi

Alex Cobb nearly throws no-hitter in SF Giants 6-1 victory over Reds
Alex Cobb nearly throws no-hitter in SF Giants 6-1 victory over Reds /
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The SF Giants defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-1 on Tuesday night, remaining undefeated since infielder Thairo Estrada gave the team a rousing pregame speech on Sunday. With the win, the Giants improved to 69-63 on the season and will move back into the final National League wild-card spot if the Diamondbacks lose to the Dodgers. However, no one in the Giants clubhouse is thinking about the standings after the game. San Francisco's starter Alex Cobb was one out away from a no-hitter.

SF Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Oracle Park on August 29, 2023.
SF Giants SP Alex Cobb throws against the Reds at Oracle Park on August 29, 2023 / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Following Kyle Harrison's (Giants Top 4 Prospect) historic Oracle Park debut on Monday night, Cobb picked up where the rookie southpaw left off and nearly made some history of his own. He allowed just one run on one hit and one walk across nine innings pitched, adding eight strikeouts in the process.

It's no secret that Cobb has been trying to find his early-season form when he was arguably the most underrated pitcher in MLB. Entering play on Tuesday, Cobb had a 6.84 ERA (6.73 FIP) with eight home runs allowed and just 17 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched (six starts) in August.

Well, he sure looked back at the top of his game.

Cobb, at his best, is one of the most efficient pitchers in MLB. He induces soft contact and swinging strikes at a great rate while quickly delivering each subsequent pitch. A perfectionist, Cobb works quickly on the mound, just with the occasional pause to rub his hands through his hair and on the ball.

Cobb breezed through the first few innings allowing just one runner to reach base on a seemingly innocuous play that had huge consequences.

Reds right fielder Nick Senzel hit a chopper to third baseman Casey Schmitt with two outs in the third inning. Schmitt fielded it cleanly but sailed a throw to first baseman J.D. Davis who was unable to keep his foot on the base. While the official scorer originally ruled the play a hit, they reversed course, giving Schmitt an error. That change gave Cobb a chance at history.

Cobb leaned heavily on his signature splitter, throwing it more than 70 times (easily a career-high). Despite its heavy usage, it remained effective throughout the night, continuously generating whiffs and inducing soft contact.

As Cobb's command began to waver in the late innings, his splitter continued to generate swings and misses. Then, with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Will Benson hit a fly ball to shallow left-center field. Center fielder Austin Slater sprinted in and dived forward, barely corralling the ball before it hit the ground to save Cobb's no-hitter.

It's an old baseball maxim that every no-hitter has one incredible defensive play. Slater surely delivered the signature moment.

In the top of the ninth, Noelvi Marte, Senzel, and TJ Friedl were due up. 

Marte flew out on the first pitch to Matos in right field.

Senzel took a first-pitch splitter below the zone. Cobb evened the count with a heater but eventually lost him to a walk.

Cobb fell behind Friedl, but evened the count after a foul ball. Then, Friedl snuck a ball down the third-base line that easily could have been a double. Instead, it was just foul. He flew out to Matos on the next pitch.

So, Spencer Steer came to the plate. Cobb delivered a 96 mph sinker for a first-pitch strike, but Steer lined the next pitch to right field. Matos would have needed to make an incredible play to save history. He didn't, with Steer driving in a run on the history-ending double.

Slater's amazing play wasn't enough.

Despite a pitch count approaching 130, Giants manager Gabe Kapler gave Cobb one shot to finish the complete game. Elly De La Cruz worked a full count, striking out to end the game.

The Giants gave Cobb all the run support he needed in the bottom of the second inning. Reds rookie left-handed starting pitcher Brandon Williamson allowed back-to-back singles to Patrick Bailey and J.D. Davis with one out in the inning. Williamson seemed weirdly distracted by Davis, who has well below-average speed and attempted to pick him off multiple times. 

In fact, he tried one too many times and was called for a balk that brought Bailey in from third. Then, with two outs and Davis still in scoring position, right fielder Luis Matos was late attacking a first-pitch fastball, which sent it toward the right field line. Nick Senzel was not able to get under it in time, and the ball fell for an RBI double.

Austin Slater extended the Giants' lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third, scoring on a wild pitch after reaching base on a double off the right-field wall. With two outs in the inning, outfielder Mitch Haniger, who was activated from the injured list before the game, reached base on an error. That mistake brought Bailey to the plate. The rookie catcher lined his seventh home run of the season over the center-field wall.

After his amazing catch, Slater sparked another rally in the bottom of the eighth with a lead-off walk against former Giants reliever Derek Law. Slater scored on a double by Thairo Estrada. But none of the more than 26,000 paid attendees at Oracle Park were that interested in the Giants offense by that point. Instead, they were on the edge of their seats, waiting for Cobb to try and make history.

He may not have made history, but he delivered a performance he will never forget.

The SF Giants will look to finish off the home stand with a victory against the Reds on Wednesday to complete a series sweep. In the shadow of two excellent starts, ace Logan Webb will take the mound in the early afternoon against hard-throwing righty Hunter Greene. First pitch at Oracle Park is scheduled for 12:45 PM Pacific.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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