KODAK, Tenn. — The Tennessee Smokies have thrown a combined no-hitter for the second time this season Tuesday night in a 2-0 win against the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
The other no-hitter came on May 11 against the Montgomery Biscuits in a 5-0 win.
Four Smokies pitchers pitched in the effort on Tuesday. Anderson Espinoza, Samuel Reyes, Bryan King and Nicholas Padilla helped set some team history. The Chicago Cubs' prospects combined for 12 strikeouts and three walks.
Espinoza picked up his first pitching win of the season with five innings and seven strikeouts. He said he felt good on the mound in Tuesday's outing.
"I think I was very focused, pitch-by-pitch and inning-by-inning," Espinoza said. "When I came out of the game, I saw the board like, 'okay, I didn't give up any hits.'"
Smokies reliever Samuel Reyes said he knew the no-hitter was alive after the fifth inning, but he knew not to say anything about it.
"They say it's bad luck," Reyes said. "I knew, and it was exciting."
Closing pitcher Nicholas Padilla was equally aware when he came into the game in the ninth inning to try and get the final three outs, but he also recognized the importance of trying to keep that out of his mind.
"Once you get on the mound, you block everything out," Padilla said. "Don't get me wrong. Every foul ball, every fly-out that they had, I was turning my head really fast. You just stick to what you know and go through it."
Prior to the combined no-hitter in May, the Smokies hadn't had one since 2013 when Eric Jokisch did so in a complete-game performance.
