Cole Hamels Pitches No-Hitter Against Chicago Cubs, Increases Trade Value For Phillies

Cole Hamels just pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs. Hamels pitched the game of his life for the Philadelphia Phillies, shutting down a Cubs team favored to make the World Series this year. This was the 13th no-hitter in Phillies franchise history, and it certainly just helped increase his value on the trade market.

The ending wasn’t without drama, as Kris Bryant drove a pitch deep to center field where Odubel Herrera made a great catch to finish the game. He took 129 pitches to do it, going the full nine innings in what really looked like an attempt to show everyone in baseball what he could do. Hamels struck out 13 hitters, walked two, and picked up his 114th career victory.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there have been quite a few Cole Hamels trade rumors recently. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees keep getting mentioned as possible destinations for the All-Star starting pitcher. What the Phillies have not been able to get, though, is a package of star players that would make it work. Maybe there is a lot of irony in the fact that the Chicago Cubs also made a trade offer for him last week.

This was actually the second no-hitter that Hamels has been involved in during his MLB career, as he helped combine for one in 2014 against the Atlanta Braves. In that game, it took Hamels 108 pitches to get through just six innings, mainly because of his seven strikeouts and five walks. He had to leave the ballgame, but three relievers came in to slam the door on the Braves. Jonathan Papelbon finished it off with a perfect ninth inning, giving the Phillies a nice 7-0 victory.

While the Philadelphia Phillies are certainly out of contention in the 2015 MLB season, it’s moments like this that will keep the fans of the team interested. There was no indication that Hamels was going to come out and pitch as well as he did, especially with the rough outing he had during his last start. The unfortunate aspect of this is that it came on the road at Wrigley Field, meaning Phillies fans couldn’t see it in person. At the end of the day, it’s quite possible that the final start that Cole Hamels makes for the Phillies turns out to be the first complete game no-hitter of his MLB career.

[Image Source: Patrick Smith/Getty Images]