The last time a Giants pitcher threw a no-hitter, it was 1976, six years before Jonathan Sanchez was born. Sanchez has struggled to find his control most of this season and was recently relegated to the bullpen. When Randy Johnson went on the DL with a shoulder strain, Sanchez got his chance to start as Johnson's replacement. After pitching only twice in the previous 17 days, he stepped up and threw a gem.
The nice piece of this story is that his father watched from the stands, the first time he had seen his son pitch in a major league park.
There is also the question of whether this will leave the Giants as inclined to trade him as rumors suggest. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this week that the Giants were willing to include Sanchez in a deal that would bring 2B Freddy Sanchez to San Francisco.