Padres News: Blake Snell Wanted to Be Taken Out of No-Hitter

San Diego's ace looked at the bigger picture.

Blake Snell pitched one of the best games of his career on Tuesday night. 

The San Diego Padres ace mowed down Colorado Rockies hitters left and right last night, throwing seven hitless innings and striking out 10 before being removed from the game. 

But the lefty didn't mind being pulled, and he looked at things from the bigger perspective postgame -- a game that ended in a Padres victory courtesy of a Xander Bogaerts walk-off home run. 

“I understand my body really well,” Snell said. “I understand the risk/reward of injury, with pushing it. With how hard I was throwing today, it’s not worth it. I understand a no-hitter is an amazing accomplishment. It’s so hard to do. I understand that. I also understand how much I value health. I’m just not going to push for that. It’s an individual accolade. It’s cool for the team, you know, you get a no-hitter. But it’s cool when the bullpen comes in and you trust them and they shut it down like they just did.”

via

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune

The National League Cy Young contender threw 104 pitches in the outing -- the third such game this month where he crossed the 100 pitch threshold -- and in the hypothetical scenario where he stayed on the mound and completed his no-hitter, he likely would've thrown more that 125 to do so. That number would have been a season high.

So even though it may have been disappointing to see him exit early, it's probably for the best over the long term. 

Snell is set to be a free agent at the end of this season, and he's sure to command a big market after one of the best years of his career. 

That Padres should be in the mix for his services, and the 30-year-old has hinted at a desire to return to San Diego.