Dylan Cease entered the seventh inning with a no-hitter still intact but departed before completing the inning, his chance at making history slipping away due to a cramp in his arm. The Padres’ star pitcher hadn’t surrendered a hit to the Yankees through 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday night, until Cody Bellinger launched a solo home run.

After striking out Anthony Volpe, Cease left the game accompanied by a trainer. Post-game, the team announced he was experiencing a forearm cramp. “Honestly, I would have liked to continue,” Cease remarked following the Padres’ 4-3 defeat.

“But I believe it was the correct decision.” The right-hander expressed minimal concern over the issue. “It essentially caused my hand to tighten for a few seconds. I don’t think it’s anything major,” he explained.

Heading into the seventh, the Yankees had only reached base thrice, thanks to walks by Jasson Domínguez and Oswaldo Cabrera, and a catcher’s interference by Jorbit Vivas. Prior to Bellinger’s homer, the nearest thing to a hit was Austin Wells’ fly ball that Fernando Tatis Jr. caught with a leap at the right-field wall in the fourth inning.

Max Fried also performed admirably, giving up just one run on five hits over seven solid innings. “To his credit, he mentioned it,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said about Cease. “He said he could have continued, but it wasn’t sensible at that moment, so we’ll assess and see what unfolds.”