Padres pitcher Michael Wacha loses no-hitter in 8th against Royals

SAN DIEGO (AP) — 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.

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