Making his first career start for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night, the unexpected happened. Diamondbacks rookie pitcher Tyler Gilbert fired his first career no-hitter in his first professional start in the major leagues. This ties the modern record for the most no-hitters thrown in a season.
Gilbert no-hit the San Diego Padres en route to a 7-0 victory. Debuting as a relief pitcher, the Diamondbacks decided to give Gilbert a start, and he might have just locked his name into the rotation for the remainder of the season. In his no-hit performance, Gilbert walked three batters while striking out five. He also becomes the fourth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first career start.
The 27-year old fought his way on a long path to the show. Drafted by the Phillies in the 6th round of the 2015 Draft, he mainly pitched throughout the bullpen within their organization. Sending platoon outfielder Kyle Garlick to Philadelphia, he was flipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers. With no minor league season in 2020, he did not pitch. During the offseason, Gilbert was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He got his chance to pitch during Spring Training, being a left-handed long reliever the DBacks could hold onto for games their starters are not shining. For AAA Reno this season, Gilbert was making his case to reach the show. Making 10 starts in 11 appearances, he held a 5-2 record with a 3.44 ERA. He had 50 strikeouts in 52.1 innings of work for the Aces.
Making the leap to the MLB this year, Gilbert’s stats for the four games he has appeared in are rather impressive. Coming out of the bullpen for the other three games, he has now thrown 12.2 innings, only allowed two hits, five walks, while striking out ten batters. Quite impressive for a 27-year old rookie to get off to a great start for his major league career.
Currently, the Arizona Diamondbacks hold the worst record in the majors. Coming into today at 38-80, the team is looking to begin at seeing what their options can be next season. Gilbert is likely to hold his spot in the rotation after Merrill Kelly was placed on the COVID-19 Injured List. Gilbert joins a rotation with left-hander Madison Bumgarner and right-hander Zac Gallen who have not had the best performances this season. Does Gilbert have what it takes to remain in the rotation the rest of the season?