J.T. Ginn loses no-hit bid, shutout in heartbreaking finish vs. Angels

For eight innings Monday night, J.T. Ginn looked untouchable. The Athletics right-hander carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels, overwhelmed hitters with strikeout stuff and appeared moments away from one of the greatest performances in franchise history.

Then baseball flipped everything in an instant. After Adam Frazier opened the ninth with a single to break up the no-hitter, Zach Neto crushed a 413-foot walk-off home run to center field that suddenly transformed Ginn’s masterpiece into a devastating 2-1 loss. It was the kind of ending that almost felt unfair.

And yet, even in heartbreak, Ginn may have delivered the performance that finally announces him as a cornerstone piece for the Athletics’ future.

Adam Frazier ends J.T. Ginn's no-hitter with zero outs in the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/XZ8spawNb0

J.T. Ginn completely dominated the Angels lineup

The box score only partially captures how electric Ginn looked Monday night.

Eight-plus innings.

Two hits.

Ten strikeouts.

One walk.

For most of the game, the Angels barely made threatening contact.

Mike Trout grounded out twice. Jorge Soler struck out multiple times. Logan O’Hoppe could not solve Ginn’s movement. The sinker generated weak contact all night, and his secondary pitches consistently finished hitters once he got ahead in counts. The seventh inning especially showed how overpowering Ginn became as the night progressed.

He struck out Yoán Moncada swinging, froze Soler looking and then finished the inning by striking out Nolan Schanuel swinging. At that point, the no-hit possibility inside Angel Stadium started feeling very real. By the ninth inning, Ginn was six outs away from joining some of the greatest pitchers in Athletics history.

Instead, baseball reminded everyone how cruel the sport can be.

One swing erased history and changed the game

The nightmare sequence unfolded quickly. Frazier lined a single to center field leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, ending the no-hit bid immediately. Moments later, Neto jumped on a 93 mph sinker and launched it 413 feet to center for the walk-off two-run homer.

Just like that, Ginn went from chasing history to absorbing one of the hardest losses imaginable for a pitcher. The Athletics had finally broken through offensively in the top of the ninth inning when Lawrence Butler singled home Zack Gelof for a 1-0 lead. It looked like Ginn would finally have enough support to finish the job.

Instead, the Angels celebrated while Ginn walked off stunned. That is what made the ending feel so brutal.

Most pitchers dream about outings like this. Very few lose them.

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The Athletics still may have found their future ace

Even with the devastating finish, Monday night still felt important for the Athletics. Ginn’s baseball journey has been anything but smooth.

The Mississippi native became a first-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 before turning down professional baseball to pitch at Mississippi State. Tommy John surgery later altered his trajectory, and his professional development became filled with injuries, setbacks and inconsistency.

That is why this performance mattered so much. For years, Ginn was viewed as a talented arm with unanswered questions. Monday night looked like answers. The Athletics franchise has seen legendary pitching moments from names like Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Dave Stewart and Dallas Braden.

Ginn narrowly missed joining the organization’s official no-hit club. But even in defeat, he showed something that may matter even more long term for the Athletics: He looked capable of becoming the kind of pitcher franchises build around.

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