While the Phillies were six outs away from a combined no-hitter on Saturday, one former Phillies farmhand completed the feat in his first ever big-league start.
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. He struck out five Padre hitters, walked three and threw 102 pitches. The 27-year-old left-hander made his MLB debut on Aug. 3 as a reliever after making ten starts for Triple-A Reno.
Gilbert was drafted by the Phillies in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft. In his last season in the organization, Gilbert went 2-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 47 2/3 innings primarily as a reliever for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 2019.
He was traded to the Dodgers in February 2020 for outfielder Kyle Garlick. Garlick spent parts of the 2020 season as the Phillies’ fourth outfielder before being designated for assignment by the team in January 2021. Garlick was claimed by the Braves, DFA’d in February and claimed by the Twins. He’s currently on the 60-day injured list with a groin injury.
In December 2020, Gilbert was drafted by the Diamondbacks from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft.
With his no-hitter, Gilbert became the first pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter at Chase Field. He’s only the fourth pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in his first-career start. Bobo Holloman of the St. Louis Browns was the last pitcher to do it back in 1953.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe catcher who caught Gilbert’s no-hitter was Daulton Varsho, who is the son of former Phillies player, coach and interim manager Gary Varsho. Daulton was named after Gary’s former Phillies teammate Darren Daulton.
The best part of it all? Gilbert’s family was there to see it. It’s an incredible story that will be talked about within the baseball world for years to come.