Former TCU pitcher Jordan Kipper throws first career no-hitter

Jordan Kipper is used to giving up hits. He’s a groundball pitcher who uses a sinker to force a lot of hitters into groundouts. Those often find holes.

So the idea of throwing a no-hitter wasn’t really in the back of his mind.

But dominant is what the former TCU pitcher was. He retired the next 26 batters and faced the minimum 27 after a double play to end the first inning for the Arkansas Travelers, a Los Angeles Angels affiliate.

“Anytime you’re able to throw a no-hitter, it’s a great feeling,” said Kipper, who tied a career-high with eight strikeouts. “Not everyone is able to have this [opportunity]. Knowing that I was able to do that, it’s pretty special.”

Kipper, 23, was a spot starter/reliever for the 2014 TCU team that reached the College World Series. In his last start for TCU, he held Baylor scoreless for seven innings in the Big 12 tournament opener. He was drafted in the ninth round by the Angels a few weeks later.

He played only one season at TCU after transferring from Central Arizona College. He had been drafted in 2011 and 2012 by the Dodgers and Phillies.

“I was standing there watching it and I knew it was close,” Kipper told the Orange County Register. “I looked back and saw the home-plate umpire and saw him looking at it, and I didn’t hear the third-base umpire [Jon Felczak] make a call, so my initial thought was he’s going to call this a home run. I heard him call it a foul, and it was just kind of a sigh of relief.”

It’s Kipper’s first no-hitter, at any level. Although he gave up 16 runs combined in his previous three starts, Kipper had shown flashes of dominance. He held Midland scoreless on four hits in seven innings on April 15 and held Tulsa to two hits and no walks over eight innings on April 26.

“In between innings I tried to stay relaxed, and didn’t want to change anything. I didn’t need to do more than anything that I already was. I didn’t have to be perfect. I stayed within in my game and worked down in the zone,” he said.

“Being a ground-ball guy, I never go into a game expecting to throw a no-hitter. Giving up the hits isn’t something that’s super alarming to me just because I know balls get put in a play a lot.”

▪ Royals right-hander Dillon Gee (Cleburne, UT Arlington) has returned to the rotation after being demoted to the minors last season with the Mets. In two starts, Gee has given up four runs on 10 hits and four walks in 10  1/3 innings.