ANAHEIM -- If there was any question as to whether Joe Boyle could succeed as a Major League starting pitcher, the right-hander made sure to leave no doubt.

Making his final start of 2023, Boyle capped what has been an impressive start to his big league career with an exclamation point in Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium. The rookie carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of what was just his third big league start.

Boyle -- rated Oakland’s No. 21 prospect by MLB Pipeline -- came out blazing with a fastball that maxed out at 100.3 mph and averaged 98.6 mph throughout the night. He made quick work of the Halos’ offense early on, needing just 68 pitches to get through the first six innings.

“An exceptional outing,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “For the first six innings, he completely dominated their lineup. It was fun to watch. … He came off the mound and I told him, ‘Great job.’ It’s going to be fun going into Spring Training next year and watching his growth.”

Every pitcher is different when it comes to the zero in the hit column. For Boyle, the recognition of what was going on came early on in the contest.

“I think it’s better to acknowledge it and realize what’s on the table, rather than get slapped in the face and be in shock,” Boyle said. “So, I was aware.”

Boyle’s bid at the 14th no-hitter in A’s history came to an end on Brandon Drury’s double with one out in the seventh. The Angels plated three runs in the frame, but Boyle bounced back to finish the inning. Allowing three runs on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts, Boyle’s outing marked just the eighth time an A’s starting pitcher has completed seven innings this season.

In three starts with the A’s, Boyle built up a scoreless streak of 15 1/3 innings that ended just shy of the Oakland record of 17 2/3 innings set by Vin Mazzaro in 2009. Boyle finished his first taste of the Majors having allowed just three earned runs over 16 innings with 15 strikeouts.

“Ever since he came up, he’s been really consistent and attacking the strike zone,” A’s catcher Shea Langeliers said of Boyle. “There’s no doubt his stuff is really good. It’s just going to come down to him pounding the strike zone and making hitters get defensive right away. That’s what he did tonight.”

After joining the A’s at the Trade Deadline from the Reds in exchange for reliever Sam Moll, Boyle combined for 46 strikeouts and 18 walks in 33 1/3 innings with Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas, which earned him his first call to the big leagues earlier this month.

“When Joe threw the ball really well, I think six shutout innings, in his first start at Double-A, our Double-A manager Bobby Crosby immediately told us this is a No. 1, frontline starter,” Kotsay said. “What we’ve seen of him so far in the limited amount of innings, Bobby’s assessment could be spot on. [Boyle has] all the attributes.”

Showing off his 80-grade fastball and wipeout slider in this impressive stint with Oakland, Boyle will without question be in the mix for a spot in the A’s 2024 starting rotation come Spring Training. But even with the impressive numbers he’s turned in, Boyle believes there is another level he can reach.

“I know the box scores look good, but it’s definitely been challenging,” Boyle said. “I’ve struck out less guys than I would like. I value the strikeout almost as much as I value preventing runs. Seeing the caliber of hitters up here and their ability to make adjustments on the fly has all been very eye-opening.

“How can I get better with my approach and my plan? I think that’s the takeaway from this experience going into next year.”

The A’s offense helped Boyle earn a win by putting together a five-run eighth that saw Esteury Ruiz swipe his 66th bag of the year, which tied Kenny Lofton’s American League rookie record for stolen bases.

“He’s obviously had his eye on that for a few games,” Kotsay said. “He made a couple of attempts that were not successful. But I told him today that he still had the green light. It’s great to see him tie it. Hopefully, he has an opportunity to break it.”