SAN FRANCISCO — Blake Snell struck out a career-high 15 over six innings as the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1 in a doubleheader opener Saturday.
Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, struck out 15 of 18 batters in the no-decision. It was the most strikeouts for a Giants pitcher since Tim Lincecum had 15 on July 27, 2009, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Snell’s strikeout total was one short of Giants’ single-game record, which was set by Christy Mathewson in 1904 and tied by Jason Schmidt in 2006.
Snell also joined Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and David Cone as the only pitchers in the expansion era (since 1961) to record 15 strikeouts or more in the first six innings of a game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The left-hander threw 102 pitches, allowing two hits and no runs.
Snell, 31, signed a two-year, $62 million contract as a free agent but is 0-3 in 10 starts, spending time on the injured list with a strained adductor muscle in his left thigh and a strained left groin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.