Fanti goes distance in latest Lakewood no-no
Nick Fanti stepped off the mound once or twice in the ninth inning and tried to compose himself. He could feel the pressure building in the ballpark."The energy in the stadium was crazy," he said. "I had to step off just to gather myself."Fanti, pitching in front of his father
Nick Fanti stepped off the mound once or twice in the ninth inning and tried to compose himself. He could feel the pressure building in the ballpark.
"The energy in the stadium was crazy," he said. "I had to step off just to gather myself."
Fanti, pitching in front of his father and girlfriend, did not allow a hit and struck out a career-high 12 in his first career complete game as Class A Lakewood blanked Charleston, 1-0, on Monday afternoon at FirstEnergy Park.
Fanti (7-2) retired 27 of 28 batters faced, allowing only a two-out walk to Brandon Wagner in the second. He got Carlos Vidal to fly out to center fielder Mickey Moniak for the final out, setting off a celebration on the field that included his father, who made the trip from Long Island, New York.
"It's a cool experience to throw it in front of a home crowd," he said. "My dad was there and that was special."
Gameday box score »
It's the second time Fanti has been part of a no-hitter this season -- the Phillies left-hander combined on one May 6 when he pitched 8 2/3 innings and Trevor Bettencourt got the final out against Columbia.
Fanti took things one step further against the RiverDogs. He retired the final 22 batters and threw 77 of 112 pitches for strikes in a game that featured two total hits and lasted just one hour, 47 minutes.
"It was a great feeling," he said. "Going into today, I didn't feel my best. Any time that happens and I'm in the bullpen, my pitching coach [Brian Sweeney] reminds me, 'You know the Nolan Ryan story about how he threw a bad bullpen and threw a no-hitter?' Afterward he said, 'Wow, you really took that seriously?' So, that was cool."
The 20-year-old's no-hitter was the sixth in Lakewood history and also marked the first time a BlueClaws pitcher has thrown nine innings and picked up a victory in a no-hitter. Gavin Floyd was the last Lakewood pitcher to throw nine frames in a no-hitter, but it came in a losing effort in 2002.
Fanti's dad and girlfriend joined the celebration, giving the group a unique moment about 120 miles from his hometown of Smithtown, New York.
"He was just proud -- he was pretty emotional," Fanti said. "They were both kinda shocked and speechless. He said, 'That was wild. I hope it hits you at some point.' I'm still a little shocked by it all."
A 31st-round pick in 2015, Fanti has struck out 20, walked one and allowed just three hits over his last two starts spanning 16 innings. With the gem, Fanti lowered his ERA from 2.80 to 2.52, moving him into fifth on the circuit. The high school product said one pitch was the key to success.
"I think today what helped was me locating my fastball early and being able to finish them with the fastball, too," he said. "I felt strong. If I had any doubt, I just tried to throw it away and I knew how close I was. I felt good."
The no-hit performance also came despite Fanti working with catcher Gregori Rivero for the first time. The backstop was promoted to the Sally League last Tuesday.
"I'd never thrown to him," said Fanti, who said he briefly worked with Rivero in Spring Training but never in a game. "Today was important, and I mentioned that to him before the game and we got on the same page. We talked about what we wanted to do with the hitters and how to pitch to some guys. We were talking during the game, too, until he noticed the no-hitter was going on and he started to stay away."
Nick Fanti embraces BlueClaws manager Marty Malloy after the feat. (Mike Dill/Lakewood BlueClaws)
Charleston's best chance for a hit came in the fifth when Yankees prospect Mandy Alvarez hit a sharp grounder to third, where Luke Williams made a diving play and threw him out to end the inning.
"Guy smoked a grounder into the hole and he made a diving play, a really good play," Fanti said. "There was another ball that was smoked right at [second baseman Daniel Brito]. A few line drives hit at [center fielder David Martinelli] were tough plays, right at him."
Phillies No. 24 prospect JoJo Romero, who began the season with Fanti in Lakewood, tweeted his reaction after the final out.
Fanti got the only run he needed with one out in the second when Henri Lartigue hit his seventh homer of the year off starter Alexander Vargas (0-1), making his Charleston debut. It was the only hit the right-hander allowed as he struck out five and didn't walk a batter in six frames.
Fanti said he felt fine in the ninth and, despite taking a couple moments to calm himself, wasn't thinking about his last no-hitter.
"I was just trying to work in the moment a little bit and just wanted to finish it," he said. "I just wanted to finish it for the satisfaction of it. I had a lot of help from my defense, a lot of denfing moments in that game that helped to get the result."
And when it ended? Fanti was in shock.
"That was awesome, it's really indescribable," he said. "Everyone is so excited for you. Luke Williams tackled me and someone threw Gatorade on me."
Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between
Prospect Peña quietly drawing raves in Brewers' farm system
PHOENIX – Jesús Made was at the top of the Brewers’ lineup for Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Reds in the finale of MLB’s four-day Spring Breakout, a fitting perch when you consider that the 17-year-old infielder is under a bright spotlight as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect. Made could
Brecht -- in 1st outing since '24 Draft -- wows at Spring Breakout
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sunday's Spring Breakout showcase was the perfect unveiling for Rockies No. 5 prospect Brody Brecht. A right-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa whom the Rockies selected 38th overall last summer, Brecht had a nice collegiate resume, an interesting backstory as a former wide receiver for the
Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
Yanks' Lagrange flashes triple-digit heat in Spring Breakout
SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and
Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring
'Hungry' Alcántara hoping to pounce on big league prey in '25
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry. So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice. “His
Rainiers broadcaster Pay talks historic role on MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Prospect Santos 'electric' in Spring Breakout start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch. In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more
Switch-pitcher Cijntje deals from both sides in Spring Breakout
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jurrangelo Cijntje knew who’d be waiting for him in the batter’s box when he emerged from the visiting bullpen on Friday evening. The Mariners’ switch-pitcher had seen Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana recently at a card-signing event, to which they each joked, “I’m going to see you soon,”
Fans in this Minor League town are hungry for ... the Spicy Meatballs?!?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.