Padres pitcher Michael Wacha has no-hitter through 7 against Royals

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael Wacha took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Michael Massey of the Kansas City Royals lined a leadoff single

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha works against a Kansas City Royals better during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, May 15, 2023, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — Padres pitcher Michael Wacha took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Michael Massey of the Kansas City Royals lined a leadoff single.

The base hit came on the 103rd pitch thrown by Wacha, who was immediately pulled by San Diego manager Bob Melvin. The right-hander struck out a career-high 11.

Wacha had a perfect game going before hitting Edward Olivares with a pitch with one out in the fifth. He walked Bobby Witt Jr. with two outs in the sixth before first baseman Jake Cronenworth made a terrific diving stop of Vinnie Pasquantino’s grounder to preserve the no-hit bid.

The 31-year-old Wacha began the game with a 3-1 record in seven starts this season. In his 11th big league season, he signed with the Padres as a free agent on Feb. 16.

San Diego leads 4-0.

Joe Musgrove threw the Padres’ only no-hitter on April 9, 2021, in his second start with his hometown team.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports