At 28 years old, Jake Arrieta seems to have found his way as a member of the Chicago Cubs. And when we say he has found his way, we mean that he has been pitching like a legit ace for much of the 2014 season.
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Arrieta continued his dominance on Monday night, baffling the hitters for the Boston Red Sox all night and taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning. This came just one start after he took a perfect game into the 7th inning.
With just four outs to go to complete the no-no, Arrieta left a pitch up and surrendered a line drive single to Stephen Drew. Having thrown 120 pitches, Arrieta was removed immediately in favor of the bullpen.
With 10 strikeouts and just one walk on the night, Arrieta had the attention of the baseball world. Not all no-hitters are created equal, but this one stood to be one of the finest performances in recent memory. The outing was still sparking: 8 2/3 innings, 10 K’s, one hit and one walk. It also continues a stellar 2014 campaign overall.
The Cubs got Arrieta as part of the trade that sent Scott Feldman to the Baltimore Orioles, a deal that is sure starting to feel lopsided at this point.
Arrieta is due just $500,000 this season and is first-year arbitration eligible at season’s end. He is under team control through 2017. His name got floated, briedly, in trade rumors this summer, but one can certainly assume that is no longer the case. As long as he is pitching like this, Arrieta is one of the most valuable players on the Cubs roster.
On his way off the field, Arrieta received a well-earned standing ovation from the Boston crowd. It was a great moment for a guy who deserved it, no-hitter or otherwise.