BALTIMORE — Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito’s dominant start vs. the Orioles on Tuesday marked the first time he has thrown 8 or more scoreless innings since his no-hitter Aug. 25, 2020.

The 31-year-old veteran allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight in 8 scoreless frames, securing a 5-0 victory over Baltimore at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

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“It’s pretty cool,” Giolito said. “Yesterday or two days ago, I saw online people were saying it was the anniversary.”

Monday marked his fifth anniversary and Giolito was trying to celebrate by throwing another.

“You can’t expect a no hitter but I was trying,” Giolito said. “I tried as hard as I could but it’s very hard to pull off. You have to get lucky, but, yeah, overall, solid.”

Giolito said he got lucky during his 13-strikeout no-hitter when he pitched for the White Sox vs. the Pirates five years ago.

“There were like three (that could have been hits) and the last out,” he said. “It was a line drive.”

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In Tuesday’s dominant start, he recorded 12 swings and misses: four with his four-seamer, five with his changeup and three with his slider. He received a standing ovation from Red Sox fans behind the third base dugout after striking out Jeremiah Jackson swinging to win an 11-pitch at-bat to end the eighth inning.

“I’m having a blast right now with these guys,” Giolito said. “Every single game matters, so it just kind of adds that extra edge each time you take the ball, especially with the way our rotation’s been going. Watching (Garrett) Crochet and (Brayan) Bello and Dustin May, who we recently acquired, watching them work, it adds extra motivation to keep up and keep putting up good performances.”

Giolito said he knew he needed to pitch at least six innings after Boston used an opener and four relievers Monday.

“Definitely satisfying,” Giolito said. “Trying a little too hard to get the CG (complete game) in the eighth inning when the focus the whole night had been one pitch at a time, execution. But then we brought it back, finished on a high note and luckily we were able to score a few more runs there and keep Chappy (closer Aroldis Chapman) out of it, which is good. Give him an off day.”

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Giolito signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Red Sox in December 2023. But he missed the 2024 season after he underwent an internal brace procedure to repair the damaged elbow in spring training. He then began this season on the IL with a left hamstring strain that he suffered during his first spring training start.

He has pitched well ever since returning in late April, posting a 9-2 record with a 3.47 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 21 starts.

“For me, it’s just enjoying the competition again,” Giolito said. “That’s what I missed the most last year. It’s not fun rehabbing and being away from the game for so long. So right now I’m just trying to make the most of every opportunity I get. Every time I get the ball, go out, do my best to put us in a position to win and really just enjoy it. We don’t get to do this forever. I had to miss a year, which sucks.”

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Read the original article on MassLive.