Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta threw his second no-hitter in eight months on Thursday night, blanking the Cincinnati Reds. It is an achievement that is even more incredible if you consider that he wasn’t pitching in five of those months during the offseason.
But while Arrieta’s two no-hitters are impressive, what is really scary for the rest of the National League is the crazy run Arrieta is on right now overall.
In Arrieta’s last 11 starts, dating back to his last no-hitter, he has a 0.53 ERA and has allowed just 37 hits in 86.0 innings. But it doesn’t stop there. Here is Arrieta’s stat line since last year’s All-Star break:
Jake Arrieta’s last 19 starts: 138.1 innings, 70 hits, 29 walks, 139 strikeouts, 0.78 ERA.
And what is really impressive is that Arrieta has discovered this dominance much later than most great pitchers. Prior to joining the Cubs, Arrieta has a 5.46 ERA in four seasons with the Orioles. It wasn’t until he was 28 did he start to dominate, and now, at age 30, he is the best in the game.
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