Tom Withers.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi walks off the mound after the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Cleveland, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

No no-no: Slade Cecconi flirts with ending Guards’ long no-hitter drought in 10-2 romp over Royals

Slade Cecconi didn’t need anyone to tell him he was throwing a no-hitter. He found out on his own. Stealing a glance at Progressive Field’s giant scoreboard, Cecconi noticed something unusual — zeros. Cecconi took a no-hitter into the eighth before Kansas City’s Micheal Massey hit a single to spoil the right-hander’s bid to throw the majors’ first no-hitter this season and end Cleveland’s 44-year drought without a no-hitter. That hardly mattered as the Guardians rolled to their fourth straight win, 10-2 and jumped the Royals in the standings. Cleveland’s last no-hitter was Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981.

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Cleveland Guardians' Slade Cecconi pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Cleveland, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Slade Cecconi loses no-hit bid in 8th, Guards rout Royals 10-2, stay in thick of AL wild card race

Slade Cecconi took a bid to end Cleveland’s long no-hitter drought into the eighth inning, and the Guardians rolled to a 10-2 win over Kansas City and leapfrogged the Royals in the AL wild-card race. Cecconi was six outs from throwing the first no-hitter in the majors this season — and Cleveland’s first since Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981 — when Kansas City’s Michael Massey singled leading off the eighth. With the win, the Guardians moved past the Royals into second place in the AL Central and stayed in the thick of the tight playoff chase. Cleveland entered 2 1/2 games behind Seattle for the third wild-card spot.

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