Dylan Cease took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning Wednesday at Oracle Park, but Heliot Ramos ended it with a leadoff single to center as the Toronto Blue Jays finished a 10-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Cease was trying to complete the second no-hitter of his career. He threw one for the San Diego Padres in 2024, and this was the second time he has carried a no-hit bid into the ninth before losing it.
The Blue Jays have not had a no-hitter since Dave Stieb in 1990. Across the league, only the Guardians have waited longer, with their drought going back to 1981.
Toronto still got a dominant start. Cease threw a career-high 118 pitches, 81 for strikes, and produced 16 swings and misses, with eight coming on his slider. He got first-pitch strikes 75% of the time.
The closest call before the ninth came in the eighth, when rookie Bryce Eldridge drove a ball nearly 400 feet to center. Based on contact quality, the ball had a .770 expected batting average, but Gold Glove winner Dauton Varsho made the play to keep the bid alive.
Cease also had power late. He reached 99 mph twice with his fastball in the eighth, and his average velocity in that inning was higher than it had been through the first four innings.
Cease Strengthens All-Star Case
Cease entered the game as the American League strikeout leader and left with a 2.56 ERA and 2.20 FIP through 17 starts in the first season of his $175 million free agent deal with Toronto. He has 148 strikeouts in 98 ⅓ innings.
The performance adds to his case to start the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Cam Schlittler of the Yankees is also in the discussion, but Cease will be on full rest, and Blue Jays manager John Schneider will choose the AL starter.
Had Cease finished the no-hitter, it would have been the second no-hitter of the 2026 MLB season, following a combined Houston Astros effort on May 25. The most recent individual no-hitter remains Blake Snell’s in Aug. 2024, when he was with the Giants.
The Giants have not been no-hit since Bailey’s outing on Jul. 2, 2013. The Jays improved to 44-49 with Wednesday’s win and moved within three games of an AL playoff position.