Phillies' Hamels ends slump with first no-hitter

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Cole Hamels #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws his final pitch of his no hitter against the Chicago Cubs on July 25, 2015 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois (AFP Photo/David Banks)

Chicago (AFP) - Cole Hamels threw his first career no-hitter Saturday, striking out 13 batters in the Philadelphia Phillies' 5-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Hamels has been the subject of trade rumours of late and his no-hitter comes just six days before Major League Baseball's trade deadline.

Coming into Saturday's contest, the 31-year-old hurler was winless in his last nine starts, but there was no sign of his recent struggles in the way he pitched against the Cubs -- who had not been no-hit in five decades.