Renegades Roc their way to combined no-hitter

It's not every day a combined no-hitter ends in a walk-off home run. In fact, it's happened just four times at the Major League level in AL/NL history.

But for Yankees No. 18 prospect Roc Riggio , Friday's series opener at High-A proved to be the stage for the unlikely occurrence.

Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning at Heritage Financial Park, Riggio only needed to see two pitches in the frame for Hudson Valley. The lefty clobbered a low breaking pitch to right field, turning immediately to his dugout to let his teammates know they had made history.

"That one felt special," said Riggio, who felt the Hudson Valley fans and his faith fueled his heroics. "I looked at the dugout, and I was like, 'Dang, it feels good,' because I did it for them. … It would've been the same reaction if anyone hit it."

Riggio took his helmet off before even touching second as the dugout and bullpen unloaded in excitement. His homer gave the Renegades a 1-0 victory over the Rome Emperors (Braves), clinching the third no-hitter in franchise history.

The first pitch Riggio saw that inning he bunted foul.

"It didn't matter how we did it or when we did it, but we had to win, whether we had the no-hitter or not, we had to win," the 2023 fourth-rounder said. "So I looked down the third-base line, I saw the third baseman off, and I knew if I could put a bunt down, get on base and pass the sticks, then we’re going to win the game."

Riggio didn't get the ball down. He saw the third baseman move in for the next pitch, and then he altered his approach, resulting in his seventh home run of the season. Riggio's walk-off knock came after nine hitless innings for the Renegades behind three pitchers, who combined for just four baserunners.

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"Once that seventh inning rolled around, and we were standing there in front of the American flag and honoring our flag, we were like, 'Hmm,'" Riggio said. "We all looked up. We got a no-hitter going. When that eighth inning came around, we all came into the dugout screaming, 'Let's go score now. Let's go score now. We have to score now.'"

Yankees No. 11 prospect Kyle Carr pitched the first hitless start of his professional career, tallying three strikeouts and three walks. Carr -- who New York selected in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft -- has experienced an up and down first season at High-A, but through his development, he’s kept a leveled head.

"Carr struggled early on, but he hasn't missed a beat," Riggio said. "He hasn't put his head down. He kept going. We've been keeping him up on his feet. He goes out there, and he's still competing, whether he's doing good or not. He's competing every pitch."

Carr mixed in a two-seamer to his arsenal Friday, marking one of his first outings with the pitch at his disposal against left-handed hitters. Although walking three, the lefty navigated his five innings by facing just one batter over the minimum.

"I think just rhythm and filling up the strike zone," said the 22-year-old, who pitched in his first no-hitter since travel ball in his youth. "After I was able to settle in, I was just pounding the zone and I think a lot of strikes are what helped out today."

Trent Sellers added three perfect frames behind Carr, fanning a trio of Emperors. Hueston Morrill managed a clean ninth with one walk and one strikeout to preserve a walk-off opportunity for Riggio and the Renegades' offense.

"I think they just came in to do their job," Riggio said. "And their job is to make good pitches, get outs, get in and out of there. … I think everyone just went into today not trying to do too much, but just do their job."

"Those guys are nasty," Carr added.

There's many ways to open a series after the All-Star break, and a combined no-hitter is a promising way to start. But to Riggio, he doesn't see this outcome as one to build off; he sees the Renegades coming into the next with the same plan of doing their jobs and competing.

"I think that's the name of this team this year," Riggio said. "We're leaving it all out there, and win or lose, we're giving it our all."

Across the rest of the Yankees' farm, stingy pitching was a theme: Double-A Somerset spun a one-hitter behind No. 22 prospect Trystan Vrieling. Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre yielded just three hits across 10 frames, with the lone run crossing home as the inherited extra-inning runner. Single-A Tampa, led by the rehabbing Chase Hampton (Yankees No. 3 prospect), had a no-hitter going through five frames before rain suspended the contest.