Dylan Cease's no-hitter on Thursday continues to be a topic of conversation among baseball fans. The right-hander made history after becoming the second-ever San Diego Padres pitcher to achieve the feat. Interestingly enough, he was actually close to garnering a hitless outing back in 2022. However, a certain teammate of his was the reason why he had to wait nearly two more years before finally succeeding: Luis Arraez (per USA Today's Bob Nightengale).

The date was September 3, 2022. Cease — who suited up for the Chicago White Sox at that time — had all the momentum for a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. He had gone through 8 2/3 innings without a hit…until Arraez stepped up to the plate that is. Despite the chants of “Cease” by the fans at Guaranteed Rate Field, Arraez wasn't fazed. The infielder smashed a single to right-center, ending Cease's night without a major record for the White Sox's history books.

The two somehow ended up on the Padres roster prior to the 2024 season. And on Thursday, Arraez watched his teammate throw a flawless game during a 3-0 Padres victory against the Washington Nationals.

Cease was untouchable through nine innings, but there were close calls. In the fifth, a swing by Washington's Juan Yepez almost led to a fumble when Xander Bogaerts lost control of the baseball during a near catch. Luckily for Cease, Jackson Merrill was nearby to secure the ball.

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Nevertheless, Dylan Cease's no-hitter replicated what Joe Musgrove did years ago. Musgrove became the first Padres hurler to throw a no-hitter back in 2021. With Cease joining him, the franchise now has two historic games in a span of three years. The San Diego fans arguably deserve it, considering how they waited for around seven decades before the first one took place.

As for Cease, he's been on a string of big outings. Before Thursday's record-setting afternoon, Cease allowed just one hit in each of the Padres' last two games. The team is now on a five-game winning streak, holding a 55-50 record as the second-best team in the NL West.