85 times out of 100 it's a hit. The no-no savior

CHICAGO -- With 30 swinging strikes and 13 strikeouts, Lucas Giolito didn’t need a great deal of defensive help to finish off the first no-hitter thrown this season and his first big league no-hitter in a 4-0 White Sox victory over the Pirates on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But there were two plays in particular that helped complete this mound masterpiece in which Giolito faced one batter over the minimum.

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The game ended on an 0-2, 96.6 mph four-seamer thrown to Erik González after Giolito took a deep breath on the mound. González roped a 102.6 mph shot to right with an expected batting average of .850. But Adam Engel, a Gold Glove-caliber defensive player, got a great jump and snared the ball just below his waist as it started to tail.

“Oh yeah, I owe Engy something,” Giolito said. “We got ahead with sliders, and for me, I knew [catcher James] McCann was going to call the high fastball. I was about ready to throw it to the backstop.

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“Unfortunately, I pulled it down a little bit. I looked at the pitch again, it wasn't a terrible pitch. But I think he was ready for the heater, and he put a really good swing on it. That's part of a no-hitter. There's always like that one play, right? And I guess that was the one.”

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Engel was ready to do whatever it took to keep that ball from landing.

“Right when the ball came off the bat, I broke in,” Engel said. “It was well hit and low, so I knew I had to come in. It was a decently easy read. I got a good jump and tried to run through the baseball like all the reps I’ve taken out there and made the catch and it was an incredible feeling seeing Giolito just accomplish that feat.”

“He’s a center fielder playing right and made a nice play. So it’s one of those things,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “[Josh] Bell hits the ball hard into the shift and [Yoán] Moncada catches it. When you throw no-hitters, you have to have plays like that, and again, I think it just goes back to the execution that Giolito had tonight.”

Bell’s line drive to end the fourth was the hardest-hit ball of the night off Giolito, with a 106.6 mph exit velocity and an expected batting average of .800, per Statcast. Shortstop Tim Anderson also took an infield hit away from Bryan Reynolds for the second out in the seventh, ranging up the middle from the second-base side of the bag in the shift, gloving the grounder and throwing across his body to first. José Abreu, playing Gold Glove-caliber defense himself this season, scooped the throw, leading Giolito to smile and point in strong approval.

“A no-hitter, it's not all the pitcher ever,” Giolito said. “There's always that amazing defensive play, that solid defense behind you, the catcher back there.

“McCann, I mean, I can't give him enough credit. I shook him off one time to throw a fastball when he called slider, and then we ended up getting the guy out on like a changeup the next pitch or something. Credit goes to the entire team behind me. They got those runs early, so I was comfortable.”