Jake Arrieta Throws No-No as $300 Million Dodgers Hitless Again

The Los Angeles Dodgers managed zero hits for the second time in their nine days of existence as the first $300 million team in baseball history. At least this time a great pitcher, Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs, held them hitless. Arrieta lowered his ERA to 2.11 to no-hit the Dodgers nine days after Astros journeyman Mike Fiers managed the feat.

Arrieta’s no-hitter makes for the sixth this season and the eighth in the last calendar year.

Philadelphia was the last team to be no hit twice in such a short span. And by Philadelphia we mean the Philadelphia Athletics in 1923.

In fairness, only $101 million of the Dodgers salary played in this no-hitter.  Yasiel Puig ($6 million) went on the disabled list between no hitters, and a lot of the salary goes to three pitchers not on the mound Sunday (Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Brett Anderson). But another $84 million bankrolls players not even on the roster any more.

You might have expected more than two base runners, with the $11 million acquisition Jimmy Rollins drawing one walk. Enrique Hernandez, making just above the minimum at $512,500, hit what Arrieta admitted could have been scored a hit. However, former All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro played so poorly this year that he moved to second base and had trouble with a short hop. Perhaps his reputation for errors this year played into the scoring, though no one was thinking no-hitter when it happened in the third inning.

Other than that it played as a dominant 2-0 outing in which Arrieta struck out 12 and allowed one Utley drive to the edge of the warning track, one soft liner that Castro grabbed, and one other tough grounder shortstop Addison Russell turned into an out.

Arrieta threw 12 strikeouts, induced six routine grounders, and allowed six routine fly balls for 27 very easy outs against the big dollar line-up. Here is the box score with the Dodgers’ salaries.

1st 3 games at $300M	Pos	Salary	ab	R	H	RB	BB
Jimmy Rollins	SS	11,000,000	4	0	0	0	1
Chase Utley	2B	10,000,000	4	0	0	0	0
Adrian Gonzalez	1B	21,857,143	3	0	0	0	0
Andre Ethier	RF	18,000,000	3	0	0	0	0
Carl Crawford	LF	21,357,143	3	0	0	0	0
Yasmani Grandal	C	693,000	3	0	0	0	0
Joc Pederson	CF	510,000	3	0	0	0	0
Enrique Hernandez	3B	512,500	3	0	0	0	0
Pedro Baez	P	512,500	0	0	0	0	0
Alex Wood	P	520,000	0	0	0	0	0
Alex Guerrero	PH	6,500,000	1	0	0	0	0
Juan Nicasio	P	2,300,000	0	0	0	0	0
J.P. Howell	P	5,500,000	0	0	0	0	0
Justin Turner	3B	2,500,000	1	0	0	0	0