Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease loses a no-hit bid against the Yankees in seventh inning

NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Cease’s latest no-hit bid featured five walks and a rising pitch count into the seventh inning.

It made Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s decision on when to lift his ace a little less agonizing.

Cease lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees on Saturday when he allowed a clean single to Jazz Chisholm Jr.

On his 106th pitch, Cease gave up a single to right field on a 97.1-mph fastball to put runners at first and second. After allowing the hit, Cease gave up an RBI single to Austin Wells and was lifted by Schneider. Spencer Miles replaced Cease after 111 pitches.

“I’m just trying to throw strikes and execute pitches really,” Cease said. “It’s obviously hard to do things like that and if I give up a hit, then it’s just meant to be I guess.”

Cease threw seven fewer pitches than his July 8 attempt at San Francisco. He lost his no-hit bid when current Yankees’ outfielder Heliot Ramos hit a line drive single to center field for the Giants in the ninth.

After that game, Schneider said he was willing Cease to keep going because he was a “fan of baseball” and because the game occurred shortly before the All-Star break.

“You kind of want to do what’s right for him in the moment,” Schneider said after Toronto’s 4-3 win. “You want to do what’s right for him long term and you want to try to win the game. So I know I’ve said before where I’m kind of a throwback to where if a guy’s got a no-hitter, I’m going to let him roll, but I think it’s important to kind of keep him right there."

Cease was able to no-hit the Yankees into the seventh despite tying a season-high with five walks. He threw 60 pitches for strikes and first-pitch strikes to 15 of 25 hitters while averaging 95.7 mph on his 40 four-seam fastballs and 88 mph on his 36 sliders.

"The walks were weird,” Schneider said. “There were some close misses. Also I think there’s a couple of four-pitch walks in there, but stuff was really good. Stuff was consistent throughout and he used all of his pitches.

Cease stranded a runner at third in the first and second innings by getting strikeouts against Luis Garcia Jr. and Wells. He ended the fifth by getting Jose Caballero to line into a double play started by shortstop Ernie Clement.

“He’s been doing it pretty much all year,” Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through a translator.

Cease was attempting to pitch his second career no-hitter and the second in Toronto history. He threw a no-hitter on July 25, 2024, at Washington for San Diego, which was the Padres’ second no-hitter in team history.

“It feels like it’s happening every single time he steps on the mound,” said outfielder Nathan Lukes, who hit the deciding homer in the eighth. “The guy’s unbelievable. It’s special what he’s doing this year.”

It was the second time Cease carried a no-hitter into the seventh at Yankee Stadium. He lost a no-hit bid against the Yankees on May 7, 2025, when he allowed a homer to Cody Bellinger.

Toronto’s only no-hitter was thrown by Dave Stieb on Sept. 2, 1990, in Cleveland. Before Stieb's no-hitter, he reached the ninth inning four times without allowing a hit.

New York has been no-hit eight times. The last instance was a combined no-hitter by Houston’s Cristian Javier, Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly on June 25, 2022, at Yankee Stadium.

“He's tough,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Cease. “When he's on his game, the secondary stuff's really good to go with a heater that you got to respect too.”

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