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Smith's single breaks up Padres' no-hit bid in 7th inning

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Phoenix.

Arizona's Pavin Smith sliced a line-drive single to start the seventh inning, ending an opening day no-hit bid by the San Diego Padres on Thursday night.

Yu Darvish threw the first six innings for San Diego without giving up a hit, but he was pulled before the seventh after throwing 92 pitches. Manager Bob Melvin's decision wasn't a surprise: Pitchers all around the game are on limited pitch counts following a shortened spring training.

Left-hander Tim Hill relieved Darvish, matching up against the left-handed Smith to start the seventh, but the hitter responded with a clean single to left. The next batter, Carson Kelly, grounded into a double play.

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Darvish — a five-time All-Star — made his third opening day start and second for the Padres. The 35-year-old struck out three and walked four.

Bob Feller threw baseball's only opening-day no-hitter for Cleveland in 1940. The Hall of Famer was 21 years old when he accomplished the feat against the White Sox.

There were a record nine no-hitters thrown across the majors last season. Most of those came before a midseason crackdown by Major League Baseball on the use of illegal sticky substances by pitchers.

The Padres led 2-0. It's a rough offensive start for the Diamondbacks, who are trying to bounce back from a 110-loss season.

A big decision awaits some voters this July as the race for San Diego County’s Supervisor District 1 seat heats up. Are you ready to vote? Check out the KPBS Voter Hub to learn about the candidates, the key issues the board is facing and how you can make your voice heard.