Pence: Spoiling Cueto's no-no bid 'feels absolutely awful'
San Francisco Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it was spoiled after left fielder Hunter Pence lost track of a flyball.
At the onset of the sixth inning, Cueto induced a weakly hit ball from Enrique Hernandez. Pence had a 99% catch probability on the play, according to Statcast, but Hernandez ended up with a triple when the veteran outfielder lost the ball in the sky and allowed it to drop behind him.
"Johnny had the magic going," Pence said postgame, according to Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com. "He had the rhythm going. He had everything working. It was one of those special nights that doesn't always come around ... To spoil that feels absolutely awful."
The Giants won the contest 5-4, while Cueto wound up allowing four runs on a pair of hits and three walks. The two-time All-Star left after throwing 93 pitches, later revealing he had a blister on the big toe of his right foot, Guardado added.
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