History knocked on the door twice for Dylan Cease. However, unlike in 2022, this time, Cease answered the call. When the San Diego Padres entered Washington DC, no one had imagined that they’d witness history. But then Cease had different thoughts. Inning after inning, he dominated but on that fateful day two years back, he missed a no-hitter. Only this time, the villain of his story, Luis Araez, was his teammate.

Cease’s journey toward a no-hitter wasn’t easy. The game was unusually delayed right in the middle of the first inning due to rain. It took 90 minutes for Cease to finally stand on the mound. But then, the 90-minute wait was worth it as the Padres’ ace threw the game of his life, with a career-high 114 pitches. He didn’t want to repeat 2022 when a Luis Arraez hit in the 8th inning stopped him from a no-hitter, and luckily, that didn’t happen. However, the real moment came afterward when Arraez shared a tender moment with his teammate.

Luis Arraez’s role in delaying Cease’s no-hitter by two years had turned him into a villain. For Cease, he was an obstacle that he couldn’t overcome. But now that the two are teammates, they couldn’t help but hug each other. Moreover, Arraez made this moment even more special, gifting Cease with the final out ball. A nice compensation for breaking his dream two years ago!

In the 9 innings that Dylan Cease pitched, he struck out 9 hitters and walked just three. However, it wasn’t just a no-hitter that etched Cease’s name in history – he made another ridiculous record. The Padres ace became the first pitcher in history to complete at least six innings with one or zero hits in three consecutive starts. That is a ridiculous record and is pushing Cease ever closer to his Cy Young dreams. But more than that, this moment has highlighted how close-knit the San Diego Padres currently are as a unit.

Dylan Cease’s Cy Young dreams and Padres’ encouraging rise

Fans had doubts over Cease’s abilities at the end of 2023. He had just had a career-worst year with the Chicago White Sox and was on the chopping table. However, there were hints of his stuff being good. As a result, the Padres trade was met with a huge sigh of relief. Especially because the team has had a good pitching record recently. But Dylan Cease is on a different level right now.

The star has increased his velocity but more importantly, has started attacking the zone. “I’m not really walking guys, I’m still getting in the zone,” Cease said per Yahoo Sports. The pitcher noted that his tendency to attack the box has helped him to gain more control over the game. Add to that his slider becoming even better, it has allowed him to “throw more strikes and walk less guys.” 

As for the Padres, they currently sit in the final Wild Card spot with a 55-50 record. No one expected this team to perform as well as it is doing this season. But that is what good coaching and team atmosphere does. Will they make it to the playoffs? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.