(670 The Score) Before Lucas Giolito rose to the ranks of baseball's best pitchers, he was a young player mired in deep struggles.
In fact, Giolito statistically ranked as the worst qualified pitcher in MLB during the 2018 season. He was a player and person lost each time he took the mound. It's why the feat he accomplished at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday night meant so much -- for Giolito, the White Sox and many more.
Giolito threw a no-hitter in a spectacular performance on Chicago's South Side, striking out 13 and walking just one in the White Sox's 4-0 over the Pirates. Written off two years ago, Giolito produced a night to remember.
"I don't have any words," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "I want to cry. I'm really, really happy for him."
Giolito threw 101 pitches to 28 Pirates hitters and had just one blemish: a walk to leadoff man Erik Gonzalez to open the fourth inning. It was the first walk Gonzalez had drawn in 68 plate appearances this season.
It hit Giolito after seven innings that he had a no-hitter within reach. White Sox teammates abandoned him in the team's dugout -- and not for purposes of social distancing. Giolito was left on his own and stayed within his routine, drinking Red Bulls and remaining focused. By the eighth inning, the adrenaline was taking over for Giolito.
Through the drama, Giolito never doubted himself.
"I never felt nervous," Giolito said. "I never felt nervous. I felt in control."
Two years ago, Giolito was filled with self-doubt. He had a 6.13 ERA and 5.43 xFIP in 2018, both MLB-worst marks among qualified starters. Giolito not only struggled against opposing hitters. He also he couldn't overcome himself.
Giolito long envisioned pitching a no-hitter in his career, but in 2018, that didn't seem realistic.
"I'd be like, 'What the hell are you talking about?,'" Giolito said. "But that was a weird year. I think that it's just the product of hard work, determination and learning how to trust myself, trust myself.
"I kind of had to get my ass kicked, kind of had to learn from failure and go and make the changes I needed to make to realize my true potential."
The White Sox supported Giolito through his struggles two years ago and reminded him of what he could be. During an elevator ride at a hotel in Cleveland that season, Renteria told Giolito he would become an All-Star. Giolito earned that honor one year later -- taking the mound for the All-Star Game played right there in Cleveland in 2019.
Giolito trusted James McCann as his personal catcher in 2019 and simply focused on executing his pitches. He put a belief in his arsenal and himself.
That was the case once again as McCann called Giolito's first career no-hitter.
"I couldn't be happier for him," McCann said.
With one strike needed for history Tuesday night, McCann called for a fastball up in the zone to Gonzalez. He hit a line drive to right field that had an estimated batting average of .850, according to Statcast.
White Sox right fielder Adam Engel read the ball quickly and correctly off the bat and charged over to make the catch. Then the White Sox charged over to Giolito and celebrated with a teammate they believed could be great -- even before he did.
"It's just something really special to see," Engel said. "I'm still on cloud nine for the guy.
"Lucas is such a special guy."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.