Hamels throws first no-hitter vs. Cubs in 50 years

Every day, baseball serves up something delicious.

On Saturday at Wrigley Field, it served up some beautiful, crazy stuff on a silver home plate.

Left-hander Cole Hamels, whose name has been linked in trade talks with the Cubs, pitched a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Cubs, beating them 5-0 before 41,683 appreciative fans.

The 31-year-old Hamels walked two (Dexter Fowler both times) and struck out 13, throwing 129 pitches, 83 for strikes.

The game ended when Cubs rookie Kris Bryant flied out to deep center field. Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera made a sprawling catch to preserve the no-hitter. In the previous inning, he made a running, stumbling catch on a flyball to the track in left-center off the bat of David Ross.

"Thank goodness the wind was blowing in," Hamels said of a breeze coming off Lake Michigan at 14 mph. "I think I've been here a few times when the wind's been blowing out."

Hamels tossed the 13th no-hitter in Phillies history and his first career complete-game no-hitter. He also was involved in the Phillies' previous no-hit game, a combined effort.

The game also was historic for the Cubs, who had not been no-hit since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game against them on Sept. 9, 1965 at Dodger Stadium. The last time the Cubs were no-hit at home came on Aug. 19, 1965 against the Reds' Jim Maloney.

Hamels took the mound knowing full well it could be his last start for the Phillies, who have the worst record in baseball (36-63).

His name is one of the most prominent on the trading block.

"It's not what I envisioned; it's not what I thought," he said. "It's not in my thought process. All I've been thinking about the past couple days is just to kind of correct my pitching, just being able to be out there and enjoy the moment.

"To be able to do so for any kind of ballclub, any city, is a special moment, and you want to be able to do it for as long as you possibly can. Some people don't have those opportunities. Just kind of getting back to cherishing the moment that I have and to go out and deliver the kind of expectations I have on myself.

"You kind of have to take it (trade talk) as a compliment because it means you're playing the game really well. You're able to play it long enough, it might happen to probably everybody. There aren't that many Derek Jeters or Chipper Joneses or Tony Gwynns or Cal Ripkens. It just doesn't happen anymore."

Hamels has been a Phillies player since coming to the big leagues in 2006. He improved his 2015 record to 6-7 with a 3.64 ERA. In his previous 2 starts, he gave up 20 hits combined over just 6⅓ innings.

The Cubs need starting pitching, and Hamels has been a much-talked-about target.

"A great history in this ballpark," he said. "It's a fun place to come and play, a lot of our top places to play. It's something I grew up watching, on WGN, the Cubs playing, when I was a kid. To be able to play in a day game, just knowing that I'm able to go out there and enjoy it and be myself, and obviously this is what happened. A special moment."

Could Hamels envision himself a Cub?

"That's kind of tough to really answer because right now I'm in Phillies red and that's where I plan to play. I think that's all I can really do. It's out of my control. I try to wake up every day and drive to Citizens Bank Park and play with the big 'P' on my chest.

"That's what I've done since the moment I got drafted by them, and that's what I'm going to continue to do until somebody says no."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon joked that Hamels' value most assuredly went up in the marketplace, but he was not playing into any notions of irony or coincidence of Hamels tossing a no-no at Wrigley.

"I hate to be disappointing a lot of times, but it has nothing to do with anything, the price of tea in China, wherever you want to go with it," Maddon said. "It has everything to do with we lost today. That's it. And he pitched really well, and credit to him. That's wonderful for the Phillies organization to get a no-hitter. They can talk about that."

Maddon also made sure to say the no-hitter did not reflect poorly on his hitters, who have been struggling to score runs lately.

So it was a tip of the cap to Hamels, and that was it.

"I'm a professional at getting no-hit," said Maddon, who watched the White Sox' Mark Buehrle toss a perfect game at his Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field on July 23, 2009. "I have experienced four perfect games against, three as a manager and one as a coach, several no-hitters.

"Give the credit to him (Hamels). Don't denigrate our guys. Credit Cole Hamels today. He pitched that well."