Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn loses no-hitter in 9th inning, then loses 2-1 to the Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Athletics starter J.T. Ginn took a no-hitter and a one-run lead into the ninth inning Monday night.

Six pitches later, he walked off the mound with a heartbreaking loss.

Adam Frazier lined a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth and Zach Neto followed with a two-run homer that gave the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 victory, stunning Ginn and the A’s while snapping a six-game skid.

“Obviously a tough game," Ginn said. "Just keep your head up and keep moving forward. It’s just the nature of the game that we play. I attack the zone and I live with that.”

Frazier lined an 0-2 pitch over shortstop for a clean single, giving Los Angeles only its third baserunner. Neto then drove a 2-0 sinker to center field for his eighth home run of the season.

“Just a crazy game to play," Ginn said. "I fell behind 2-0, threw a good sinker, and he was waiting on it and put a good swing on it. So, tip your cap to him.”

Ginn (2-2) was trying for the first no-hitter in the majors since Shota Imanaga combined with two Chicago Cubs relievers for a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, 2024. The previous pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter was Blake Snell for the San Francisco Giants against Cincinnati on Aug. 2, 2024.

The most recent A's no-hitter was thrown by Mike Fiers in May 2019 against Cincinnati.

Ginn threw a career-high 105 pitches, 64 for strikes. He struck out 10, walked one and hit Neto with a pitch in the sixth.

The right-hander from Mississippi, who turns 27 on Wednesday, fanned all three batters in the seventh to give him 10 strikeouts — setting a career high. But he became the sixth major league pitcher since at least 1974 to allow no hits or runs in the first eight innings of a game and still take the loss. Rich Hill was the previous one, for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Pittsburgh in August 2017.

“J.T. dominated all night. For him to walk off the mound with a loss there, it hurts, obviously,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "He pitched probably the best game he’s pitched in his big league career, and to have an opportunity to get a no-hitter, and two hits later you walk off with a loss, it’s tough. I had full confidence in him going out there in that inning at 100 pitches and trying to get it done. It just didn’t work out.”

Kotsay had lefty Hogan Harris warming up in the bullpen during the ninth inning and planned to bring him in to face Mike Trout, who was on deck when the game ended. Kotsay hoped Ginn, whose sinker had been effective all night, could induce a groundball from Neto.

“Hindsight’s always 20-20,” Kotsay said. “It easily could have went the other direction.”

Pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler put the A's ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. The A's then loaded the bases before Angels reliever Chase Silseth got slugger Nick Kurtz to ground into an inning-ending double play.

“Kurtz doesn’t hit the ball on the ground a ton and they get out of that inning and momentum shifted a little bit,” Kotsay said. "It would have been nice to add on in that inning and give (Ginn) a little more cushion.”

It was the 30th career start for Ginn, who made his major league debut in August 2024.

“He did such a phenomenal job all night keeping guys off balance. His stuff was nasty. Just kind of rolling, you know, and then it’s gut-wrenching stuff in the ninth for it to end that way. It definitely sucks right now," Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers said. "Baseball will humble you in all sorts of ways. ... It’s going to be hard to flush this one.”

The Angels haven't been no-hit since Sept. 11, 1999 — the longest active streak in the majors. In that game, they lost 7-0 at Minnesota, shut down by Twins pitcher Eric Milton.

The last visiting pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Angels in Anaheim was Rangers right-hander and Hall of Famer Burt Blyleven on Sept. 22, 1977, in a 6-0 Texas triumph.

The last A’s starting pitcher to lose a no-hitter in the ninth inning was Vida Blue against Detroit in 1976.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Angels' Zach Neto (9) is greeted by teammates after hitting a walk0ff home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Los Angeles Angels' Zach Neto (9) reacts after hitting a walkoff home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Los Angeles Angels' Zach Neto is douced after hitting a walkoff home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom reacts during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon was pounding Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed people living between the Sierra Madre and the ocean.

Simon’s eye was moving northward just off the coast, and forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it’s not clear if it will make landfall. This could mean Simon maintains its extremely dangerous strength, sustaining winds of 150 mph (240 kph).

That’s not good news for people in the Puerto Vallarta area, a popular destination for U.S. tourists. Just inland and uphill from the resort areas, many Mexicans live in communities where housing might not stand up to the storm.

At daybreak, Simon was centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, and moving north-northwest at a relatively slow 6 mph (9 kph). A senior hurricane center specialist, Phillipe Pappin, said this westernmost tip of mainland Mexico was the most likely place for landfall.

“Simon is very close to the coast of Mexico this morning,” Pappin told The Associated Press on Sunday.

“We’re expecting catastrophic wind and life-threatening storm surge impacts along that west central coast of Mexico where the hurricane warning is currently in effect,” Pappin said. “They’re also getting very heavy rainfall associated with the storm that’s likely going to produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides in areas of higher terrain along the Mexican coastline, and there will be significant swells.”

As for predicting whether or not Simon will make landfall, “it’s a little tricky right now” to forecast, since the eye “is basically moving very close or parallel to the coast currently," Pappin said. But he predicted that Cabo Corrientes is the area most likely to get a direct hit from the system on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the hurricane was dumping rain over parts of southwestern Mexico. It could bring 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of rain in many places, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches (76 centimeters). “This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the center warned.

Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating people from at-risk areas while asking the tourism sector to make sure workers as well as visitors are fully accommodated in shelters or safe zones.

On Saturday, just ahead of the worst weather, convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta were boarding up their windows.

The hurricane center expected a dangerous storm surge along the immediate coast near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. The agency warned that near the coast, large and destructive waves will accompany the surge.

Canadian tourist Ed Currie, who along with his wife still has five more days to enjoy Puerto Vallarta, said the hurricane had not yet affected his plans.

“Just stay in the hotel and look out the window hopefully,” he said of what the couple would do. “I just don’t know what to expect.”

Tourists walk along the coast as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Tourists take photos of a water splashing against the wall as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Workers place sandbags outside a restaurant as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA shows Hurricane Simon in the Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)

A man boards up a shop as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

The Flying Men of Papantla perform the "Danza de los Voladores" on the beach as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A man places a window covering on his boat as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)