No-hitter
Encyclopedia
A no-hitter is a baseball
game in which one team has no hit
s. In Major League Baseball
, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher
who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter". Throwing a no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff: only 272 have been thrown in Major League Baseball history since 1875, an average of about two per year. In most cases in MLB, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game
.
Most of the time, a no-hitter is also a shutout
. However, as it is possible to reach base without a hit (most commonly via a walk
, error
, or hit batsman), a pitcher can throw a no-hitter and still give up runs, and even lose the game, although this is extremely uncommon. In 25 of the 272 recorded no-hitters in MLB history, one or more runs were given up, most recently by Ervin Santana
of the Angels
in a 3-1 win against Cleveland
on July 27, 2011. On two occasions, a team has thrown a nine-inning no-hitter and still lost the game. On a further four occasions, a team has thrown a no-hitter for eight innings in a losing effort, but those four games are not officially recognized as no-hitters by Major League Baseball because the outing lasted fewer than nine innings.
It is theoretically possible for opposing pitchers to throw no-hitters in the same game, although this has never happened in the majors. A game in which a team allows no runners to reach base at all is a perfect game
, as well as being a shutout
victory. A perfect game is by definition also a no-hitter. 20 perfect games have been recorded in MLB history.
as follows: "An official no-hit game occurs when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings." This definition was specified by MLB's Committee for Statistical Accuracy in 1991, causing previously recognized no-hitters of fewer than nine innings or where the first hit had been allowed in extra innings to be stricken from the official record books. Games lost by the visiting team in 8½ innings but without allowing any hits do not qualify as no-hitters, as the visiting team has only pitched eight innings.
has officially recognized 272 no-hitters between 1876 and 2011; only 20 of those were perfect games. Multiple no-hitters have been thrown on the same day twice: Ted Breitenstein
and Jim Hughes
on April 22, 1898; and Dave Stewart
and Fernando Valenzuela
on June 29, 1990.
The highest number of no-hitters thrown in a year is eight, in 1884
. The most thrown in one year in the modern era (since 1901
) is seven, in both 1990
and 1991
, making for the most in any two-year span, with fourteen.
The longest period between any two no-hitters in the modern era is between Bobby Burke
on August 8, 1931, and Paul "Daffy" Dean
on September 21, 1934. There was a drought of 3 years, 11 months without a no-hitter after the first National League
no-hitter on July 15, 1876, pitched by George Bradley
. The most recent year that did not have any no-hitters is 2005
.
The greatest number of games played between any two no-hitters is 6,364, between Randy Johnson
's perfect game
on May 18, 2004 for the Arizona Diamondbacks
, and Anibal Sánchez
's no hitter on September 6, 2006 for the Florida Marlins
. The previous record was a 4,015-game streak without a no-hitter from September 30, 1984, to September 19, 1986.
, who threw seven in his long career. His first two came exactly two months apart, while he was with the California Angels: the first on May 15, 1973 and the second on July 15. He had two more with the Angels on September 28, 1974 and June 1, 1975. Ryan's fifth no-hitter with the Houston Astros
on September 26, 1981 broke Sandy Koufax
's previous record. His sixth and seventh no-hitters came with the Texas Rangers
on June 1, 1990 and May 1, 1991. When he tossed number seven at age 44, he was also the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter.
Only Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax
(four), Cy Young
(three), Bob Feller
(three), and Larry Corcoran
(three) have pitched more than two no-hitters. Corcoran was the first pitcher to throw a second no-hitter in a career (in 1882), as well as the first to throw a third (in 1884).
Thirty men in all have thrown more than one no-hitter. Randy Johnson
has the longest gap between no-hitters: he threw a no-hitter as a member of the Seattle Mariners
on June 2, 1990 and a perfect game
as an Arizona Diamondback
on May 18, 2004. The pitcher who holds the record for the shortest time between no-hitters is Johnny Vander Meer, as the only pitcher in history to throw no-hitters in two consecutive starts, while playing for the Cincinnati Reds
in 1938. Allie Reynolds
(in 1951
), Virgil Trucks
(in 1952
), and Nolan Ryan
(in 1973
) are the only other major leaguers to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season. Jim Maloney
(in 1965
) technically threw two no-hitters in the 1965 season, however his first 9 inning no-hitter of the 1965 season, ended with Maloney allowing a home run in the top of the 11th inning. According to the rules interpretation of the time, this was considered a no-hitter. Later that season, Maloney threw a more traditional 9 inning no-hitter. Roy Halladay
threw two no-hitters in : a perfect game
during the regular season and a no-hitter in the 2010 National League Division Series
. He is the only major leaguer to have thrown no-hitters in regular season and postseason play.
There have been two pitchers missing their non-pitching hand to throw a no-hitter; Hugh Daily
, of the Cleveland Blues
, defeated the Philadelphia Quakers
1–0 on September 13, 1883, and Jim Abbott
, of the New York Yankees
, defeated the Cleveland Indians
4–0 on September 4, 1993. Daily lost his left hand in a gun accident as a child, and Abbott was born without a right hand.
Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers
is the most recent pitcher to throw his second no-hitter. He is the thirtieth pitcher ever to do so. His 2nd no-hitter coming on May 7th, 2011 is only the 7th no-hitter in Detroit Tigers
history.
The record for most no-hitters caught by a catcher is four by Boston Red Sox
catcher Jason Varitek
. He caught no-hitters for Hideo Nomo
, Derek Lowe
, Clay Buchholz
, and Jon Lester
. Varitek also caught a rain-shortened, five-inning unofficial no-hitter for Devern Hansack
, October 1, 2006.
Five pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in both the American League
and the National League
: Cy Young
, Nolan Ryan
, Jim Bunning
, Hideo Nomo
, and Randy Johnson
. Only three catchers have caught a no-hitter in each league: Gus Triandos
, Jeff Torborg, and Ron Hassey
. Triandos caught Hoyt Wilhelm
's 1958 no-hitter and Jim Bunning's perfect game
, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax
's perfect game and Nolan Ryan's first no-hitter, and Hassey caught Len Barker
's and Dennis Martinez
's perfect games.
of the St. Louis Browns
no-hit the Chicago White Sox
, and teammate Bob Groom
repeated the feat in the second game of a doubleheader
the following day.
On two occasions, there have been back-to-back no-hitters thrown by each team in a series. On September 17, 1968, Gaylord Perry
of the San Francisco Giants
no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals
, with the Cardinals' Ray Washburn
no-hitting the Giants the following day. On April 30, 1969, Jim Maloney
of the Cincinnati Reds
no-hit the Houston Astros
, with the Astros' Don Wilson no-hitting the Reds the following day.
The Tampa Bay Rays
are the only MLB team to fail to get a hit in three different games in a span of 12 months or less, including being victims of two perfect games: the first by White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle
on July 23, 2009
, the second by Oakland's Dallas Braden
on May 9, 2010
. They were also no-hit by Arizona
's Edwin Jackson
on June 25, 2010.
and his relievers together) in MLB history. The first was on June 23, 1917, when Ernie Shore
of the Boston Red Sox
relieved starter Babe Ruth
, who had been ejected for arguing with the umpire after walking the first batter of the game. The runner at first was caught attempting to steal second base, and Shore then consecutively retired the next 26 batters without allowing any baserunners. This game was long considered a perfect game
by Shore, since he recorded 27 outs in succession, but is only a combined no-hitter under current rules. The second combined no-hitter did not occur until April 30, 1967, when Stu Miller
recorded the final out in relief of Steve Barber
, a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers
.
The first, and only, combined extra inning
no-hitter to date occurred on July 12, 1997, when the Pittsburgh Pirates
' Francisco Cordova
(9 innings) and Ricardo Rincon
(1 inning) combined to no-hit the Houston Astros
, 3-0. The extra inning no-no was capped off by a three run walk-off home run
by pinch hitter
Mark Smith
in the bottom of the tenth inning.
The MLB record for pitchers combining to pitch a no-hitter is six, set by the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees
on June 11, 2003. The pitchers were Roy Oswalt
(the starting pitcher), then relievers Pete Munro
, Kirk Saarloos
, Brad Lidge
, Octavio Dotel
, and Billy Wagner
. Oswalt was pulled after one inning because of injury. Munro pitched the most innings, 2⅔. He also allowed five of the six baserunners; three on walks, he also hit Jason Giambi with a pitch and another runner reached while he was in the game on an error by third baseman Geoff Blum
. The other baserunner was allowed by Dotel, who threw a third-strike wild pitch to Alfonso Soriano with one out in the eighth; Dotel went on to record the 45th four-strikeout inning in regular-season play. Lidge, who retired all six hitters he faced over the sixth and seventh innings, earned the victory.
Only one pitcher, Mike Witt
, has thrown a no-hitter as a starter, and also contributed to a no-hitter as a reliever. On September 30, 1984, Witt threw a 1-0 perfect game
for the California Angels
against the Texas Rangers
. Witt followed this on April 11, 1990, with an appearance in relief of Mark Langston
after 7 innings, pitching the last two innings to get the save in another 1-0 win for the Angels
over the Seattle Mariners
.
Kent Mercker
and Vida Blue
are the only pitchers to throw a no-hitter as a starter and also start a combined no-hitter. Mercker combined with Mark Wohlers
and Alejandro Peña
while pitching for the Atlanta Braves
to no-hit the San Diego Padres
on September 11, 1991. This was also the first combined no-hitter in National League history. He threw a complete game no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers
on April 8, 1994, also as a member of the Braves. Vida Blue no-hit the Minnesota Twins
on September 21, 1970 while pitching for the Oakland Athletics
. He combined with Glenn Abbott
, Paul Lindblad
, and Rollie Fingers
to no-hit the California Angels on September 28, 1975. This is the only combined no-hitter that was started by a pitcher (Blue in 1971) who won a Cy Young award and MVP award in his career and finished by another pitcher that won the Cy Young award and MVP award in his career (Fingers in 1981). Both pitchers were also All Stars the year they combined for their no-hitter.
threw the earliest no-hitter based on calendar date: April 4, 2001, the second game of the season for the Boston Red Sox
. The Cleveland Indians
' Bob Feller
left the Chicago White Sox
hitless in the 1940 season opener on April 16, the only official Opening Day
no-hitter.
No-hitters have twice been thrown on the final day of the season: the aforementioned Blue-Abbott-Lindblad-Fingers effort for Oakland in 1975, as well as Witt's perfect game in 1984. Hansack's five inning effort took place on the final day of the 2006 season.
The Houston Astros
' Mike Scott
no-hit the San Francisco Giants
on September 25, 1986, a victory that also clinched the National League West
title for the Astros; this is the only such occurrence in Major League history to date. In the first game of a double header on September 28, 1951, Allie Reynolds
of the New York Yankees
pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox
which clinched a tie for the American League pennant (the pennant was clinched outright in the double header's second game).
There have been two postseason
no-hitters in MLB history, one in each league. For the AL, on October 8, 1956, Don Larsen
of the New York Yankees
threw a perfect game
in Game 5 of that year's World Series
against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The feat had nearly been accomplished nine years earlier by the Yankees' Bill Bevens
, who came within one out of a no-hitter (though not a perfect game) against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series
, only to lose the game on a pinch-hit double by Cookie Lavagetto
. There have been other one-hitters in the World Series, with the lone hit coming earlier in the game than in Bevens' feat. On October 6, 2010, Roy Halladay
of the Philadelphia Phillies
, in the first postseason appearance of his career, threw the second no-hitter in postseason history, and first in the NL, in Game 1 of that year's NLDS
against the Cincinnati Reds
.
Bumpus Jones
of the Cincinnati Reds
threw a no hitter on October 15, 1892 in his first major league game. Jones pitched only eight games in the big leagues, finishing with a career win/loss record of 2-4 and a career earned run average
of 7.99.
Ted Breitenstein
pitched a no-hitter in his first Major League start on October 4, 1891, however, it was not his first Major League game. He later threw a second no-hitter on April 22, 1898.
On May 6, 1953, Bobo Holloman
pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns
in his first major league start (also not his first major league game). This game would prove to be one of only three major league wins that Holloman achieved, against seven losses, all in 1953. Bill Veeck
, then-owner of the Browns, in his autobiography described the 27 outs of Holloman's no-hitter as consisting of hard-hit ground balls, screaming line drives, and deep fly balls. At the other end of the spectrum, there are nine 300-game winners
—Grover Cleveland Alexander
, Kid Nichols
, Lefty Grove
, Early Wynn
, Steve Carlton
, Don Sutton, Greg Maddux
, Roger Clemens
and Tom Glavine
—who failed to pitch a no-hitter.
On August 11, 1991, Wilson Alvarez
of the Chicago White Sox
pitched a no-hitter in his second career major league start. During Alvarez's first career start, he had allowed three runs on a pair of home runs and did not retire a single batter. Unlike Jones and Holloman, Alvarez went on to win 102 games over a 16-year career.
Clay Buchholz
pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox
in his second major league start on September 1, 2007 at Fenway Park. The game ended in a 10-0 victory for the Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles
.
of the Houston Colt .45s
became the only pitcher to lose a complete game
no-hitter in nine innings when he was beaten 1-0 by Cincinnati. The winning run was scored by Pete Rose
in the top of the ninth inning via an error, groundout, and another error.
On April 30, 1967, Steve Barber
and Stu Miller
of the Baltimore Orioles
pitched a combined no-hitter, but lost 2-1 to the Detroit Tigers
.
On July 1, 1990, Andy Hawkins
of the Yankees pitched an eight-inning no-hitter (the Yankees were the away team) against the Chicago White Sox and lost the game 4-0 after an eighth inning which saw three errors. The four runs that the White Sox scored are the most by any team in a game in which they had no hits. Because Hawkins only threw eight innings, this game is not recognized as an official no-hitter by Major League Baseball.
Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo of the Angels also combined for eight innings of no-hit baseball in a 1-0 road loss to the Dodgers June 28, 2008, where Matt Kemp
reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on another error, and scored on a sacrifice fly
. However, since the Angels only pitched eight innings, this game is not recognized as an official no-hitter.
In games where the home team leads after the top of the ninth, the visiting pitcher will only pitch 8 innings, and so can complete a full game without allowing a hit but not be credited with an official no-hitter. This has happened four times in MLB history: Silver King
(1890), Andy Hawkins
(1990), and Matt Young
(1992) pitched complete game
s without allowing a hit, but pitched only 8 innings as the losing pitcher from the visiting team, and thus are not credited with a no-hitter. On June 28, 2008, Jered Weaver
and José Arredondo
of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
threw 8 no-hit innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers
at Dodger Stadium
, but lost the game 1-0 and are not credited with a no-hitter. This is the first near no-hitter of this kind in which more than one pitcher was involved.
. Under current rules, such a game is not considered an official no-hitter because the pitcher did not keep the opponent hitless for the entire course of the game.
On May 2, 1917, a game between the Chicago Cubs
and the Cincinnati Reds
reached the end of nine innings in a hitless scoreless tie, the only time in baseball history that neither team has had a hit in regulation. Both Hippo Vaughn
of the Cubs and Fred Toney
of the Reds continued pitching into the tenth inning. Vaughn lost his no-hitter in the top of the tenth, as the Reds got two hits and scored the winning run. Toney retired the side in the bottom of the tenth and recorded a ten-inning no-hitter. This game was long considered a "double no-hitter," but Vaughn is no longer credited with a no-hitter under the current rules.
Of the thirteen potential no-hitters that have been lost in extra innings, two were perfect game
s until the inning when the first hit was surrendered. On May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
pitched a remarkable twelve perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves before losing the perfect game on an error and then the no-hitter and the game in the thirteenth inning. On June 3, 1995, Pedro Martínez
of the Montreal Expos
pitched nine perfect innings against the San Diego Padres
before giving up a hit in the tenth and exiting the game, which the Expos then won 1-0.
, when George Mogridge
pitched one on April 24, 1917. The last of the original National League teams to get their first no-hitter was the St. Louis Cardinals
, when Jesse Haines
pitched one on July 17, 1924.
Two existing franchises in Major League Baseball have not had a pitcher toss a no-hitter. The San Diego Padres
(1969) have gone 41 years without a no-hitter. The Padres' closest bid came against the Philadelphia Phillies
on July 18, 1972; Steve Arlin
came within one out of a no-hitter before a Denny Doyle
single broke up the bid. Again on July 9, 2011, five Padres pitchers combined for 8 2/3 innings of no-hit pitching against the Los Angeles Dodgers
before a Juan Uribe
double broke up the bid, followed by a Dioner Navarro
single which won the game, which had been scoreless up to that point.
The franchise that has been in the majors the longest without pitching a no-hitter is the New York Mets
, who began play in 1962. As of the end of the 2010 season (the Mets' 49th), the franchise had gone 7,806 regular season games and 74 postseason games without a no-hitter. Mets' pitchers, however, have thrown 36 one-hitters.
Though the Washington Nationals
franchise has four no-hitters in its history, including a perfect game
by Dennis Martinez
, all of them took place during the team's existence as the Montreal Expos
.
and is still ongoing: the Cubs have succeeded in getting at least one hit in every game since Sandy Koufax's perfect game
on September 9, 1965, a period of (7353 games: Including Postseason) as of November 25th, 2011. The second-longest streak without having an official no-hitter pitched against them is held by the New York Yankees
, who had a gap of between nine-inning no-hitters from September 21, 1958 to June 10, 2003. However, during this time, the Yankees team hitting streak ended in a rain-shortened official game on July 12, 1990, after . The St. Louis Cardinals
have the second-longest team hitting streak in MLB history: May 12, 1919 to May 14, 1960, a period of .
Forbes Field
, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates
from the middle of the 1909
season until the middle of the 1970
season, is the only long-term home field where a no-hitter was never thrown during its existence. There are several recently-built fields where no-hitters have not yet been thrown. Two parks in existence for a decade or more have only seen one no-hitter to date—the Orioles' current home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
, and Coors Field
, the notoriously hitter-friendly home of the Colorado Rockies
. In both parks, the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter is Hideo Nomo
.
Shairon Martis
pitched a no hitter for the Netherlands
against Panama
, however it was only seven innings due to the mercy rule
.
s is that it is bad luck to mention a no-hitter in progress, especially to the pitcher and in particular by their teammates (who sometimes even go so far as to not even be near the pitcher). Some sportscaster
s observe this taboo
while others have no reservations about mentioning no-hitters before completion. When Sandy Koufax
pitched his no-hitter against the Mets
in 1962, one of their 120 losses that season, Mets' coach Solly Hemus
, apparently trying to jinx Koufax, kept heckling him through the game about pitching a no-hitter, according to a post-game interview Koufax gave after pitching his third no-hitter in 1964. Mickey Mantle
, in an interview for Ken Burns
' Baseball documentary series, relates that Don Larsen
, famed for his 1956 World Series perfect game, tried to talk about his no-hitter throughout the contest but much to his chagrin his Yankee teammates avoided his conversation and maintained the superstition.
When Jim Bunning was pitching his perfect game, he deliberately violated this superstition, talking to his teammates about the perfect game's progress in order to dispel the tension in the dugout.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game in which one team has no hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
s. In Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter". Throwing a no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff: only 272 have been thrown in Major League Baseball history since 1875, an average of about two per year. In most cases in MLB, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
.
Most of the time, a no-hitter is also a shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
. However, as it is possible to reach base without a hit (most commonly via a walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
, error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
, or hit batsman), a pitcher can throw a no-hitter and still give up runs, and even lose the game, although this is extremely uncommon. In 25 of the 272 recorded no-hitters in MLB history, one or more runs were given up, most recently by Ervin Santana
Ervin Santana
Ervin Ramon Santana is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.-Name:...
of the Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
in a 3-1 win against Cleveland
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on July 27, 2011. On two occasions, a team has thrown a nine-inning no-hitter and still lost the game. On a further four occasions, a team has thrown a no-hitter for eight innings in a losing effort, but those four games are not officially recognized as no-hitters by Major League Baseball because the outing lasted fewer than nine innings.
It is theoretically possible for opposing pitchers to throw no-hitters in the same game, although this has never happened in the majors. A game in which a team allows no runners to reach base at all is a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
, as well as being a shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
victory. A perfect game is by definition also a no-hitter. 20 perfect games have been recorded in MLB history.
Definition
A no-hitter is defined by Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
as follows: "An official no-hit game occurs when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings." This definition was specified by MLB's Committee for Statistical Accuracy in 1991, causing previously recognized no-hitters of fewer than nine innings or where the first hit had been allowed in extra innings to be stricken from the official record books. Games lost by the visiting team in 8½ innings but without allowing any hits do not qualify as no-hitters, as the visiting team has only pitched eight innings.
Frequency
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
has officially recognized 272 no-hitters between 1876 and 2011; only 20 of those were perfect games. Multiple no-hitters have been thrown on the same day twice: Ted Breitenstein
Ted Breitenstein
Theodore P. "Ted" Breitenstein was an American Major League Baseball player from St. Louis, Missouri who pitched from to for the St. Louis Browns/Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds...
and Jim Hughes
Jay Hughes
James Jay Hughes was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, who played four seasons from to .Hughes was born in Sacramento, California...
on April 22, 1898; and Dave Stewart
Dave Stewart (baseball player)
David Keith Stewart is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A 20-game winner for 4 consecutive years, he was known for his post-season performance and for staring down batters when pitching to them...
and Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...
on June 29, 1990.
The highest number of no-hitters thrown in a year is eight, in 1884
1884 in baseball
-Champions:*First World's Championship Series: Providence Grays over New York Metropolitans *National League: Providence Grays*American Association: New York Metropolitans*Union Association: St...
. The most thrown in one year in the modern era (since 1901
1901 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* American League: Chicago White Stockings* National League: Pittsburgh PiratesWorld Series: Not played due to AL-NL war over player contracts.-Other champions:* Minor leagues** California League: San Francisco Wasps...
) is seven, in both 1990
1990 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Oakland Athletics ; José Rijo, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP Dave Stewart*National League Championship Series co-MVPs: Rob Dibble and Randy Myers...
and 1991
1991 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Minnesota Twins over Atlanta Braves ; Jack Morris, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirby Puckett*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Avery...
, making for the most in any two-year span, with fourteen.
The longest period between any two no-hitters in the modern era is between Bobby Burke
Bobby Burke
Robert James Burke in Joliet, Illinois was a Pitcher for the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Phillies .He helped the Senators win the 1933 American League Pennant....
on August 8, 1931, and Paul "Daffy" Dean
Paul Dean (baseball)
Paul Dee "Daffy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Born in Lucas, Arkansas, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals , the New York Giants , and the St. Louis Browns ....
on September 21, 1934. There was a drought of 3 years, 11 months without a no-hitter after the first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
no-hitter on July 15, 1876, pitched by George Bradley
George Bradley
George Washington Bradley , nicknamed "Grin", was an American Major League Baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He was 5'10.5" and weighed 175 lbs. Bradley was born in Reading, Pennsylvania.-Baseball career:...
. The most recent year that did not have any no-hitters is 2005
2005 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win the 2005 World Series.*2005 also marked the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals, who relocated from Montreal and were formerly known as the Expos....
.
The greatest number of games played between any two no-hitters is 6,364, between Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
's perfect game
Randy Johnson's perfect game
On May 18, 2004, Randy Johnson, who was a member of the Major League Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks at the time, pitched a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves. The game took place at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia in front of a crowd of 23,381 people...
on May 18, 2004 for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, and Anibal Sánchez
Aníbal Sánchez
Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez, Jr. [a-NEE-bal] is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher with the Miami Marlins. He is listed as 6 feet tall and 180 pounds...
's no hitter on September 6, 2006 for the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
. The previous record was a 4,015-game streak without a no-hitter from September 30, 1984, to September 19, 1986.
Individual
The pitcher who holds the record for the most no-hitters is Nolan RyanNolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
, who threw seven in his long career. His first two came exactly two months apart, while he was with the California Angels: the first on May 15, 1973 and the second on July 15. He had two more with the Angels on September 28, 1974 and June 1, 1975. Ryan's fifth no-hitter with the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
on September 26, 1981 broke Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
's previous record. His sixth and seventh no-hitters came with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
on June 1, 1990 and May 1, 1991. When he tossed number seven at age 44, he was also the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter.
Only Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
(four), Cy Young
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
(three), Bob Feller
Bob Feller
On December 8, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy, volunteering immediately for combat service, becoming the first Major League Baseball player to do so following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. Feller served as Gun Captain aboard the USS Alabama, and missed four seasons during his service...
(three), and Larry Corcoran
Larry Corcoran
Lawrence J. Corcoran was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.Corcoran debuted in 1880, winning 43 games and leading the Chicago team to the National League championship...
(three) have pitched more than two no-hitters. Corcoran was the first pitcher to throw a second no-hitter in a career (in 1882), as well as the first to throw a third (in 1884).
Thirty men in all have thrown more than one no-hitter. Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
has the longest gap between no-hitters: he threw a no-hitter as a member of the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
on June 2, 1990 and a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
as an Arizona Diamondback
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
on May 18, 2004. The pitcher who holds the record for the shortest time between no-hitters is Johnny Vander Meer, as the only pitcher in history to throw no-hitters in two consecutive starts, while playing for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in 1938. Allie Reynolds
Allie Reynolds
Allie Pierce Reynolds was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
(in 1951
1951 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:Baseball's Shot Heard 'Round the World gives the New York Giants the National League Pennant in the third game of a best-of-three-games tiebreaker series over the Brooklyn Dodgers.-Major League Baseball:...
), Virgil Trucks
Virgil Trucks
Virgil Oliver Trucks is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1941 through 1958, Trucks played for the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Browns , Chicago White Sox , Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed...
(in 1952
1952 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers *All-Star Game, July 8 at Shibe Park: National League, 3-2 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: La Habana *College World Series: Holy Cross...
), and Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
(in 1973
1973 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets ; Reggie Jackson, MVP*All-Star Game, July 24 at Royals Stadium: National League, 7–1; Bobby Bonds, MVP-Other champions:...
) are the only other major leaguers to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season. Jim Maloney
Jim Maloney
James William Maloney is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds and California Angels...
(in 1965
1965 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins ; Sandy Koufax, MVP*All-Star Game, July 13 at Metropolitan Stadium: National League, 6-5; Juan Marichal, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: Arizona State...
) technically threw two no-hitters in the 1965 season, however his first 9 inning no-hitter of the 1965 season, ended with Maloney allowing a home run in the top of the 11th inning. According to the rules interpretation of the time, this was considered a no-hitter. Later that season, Maloney threw a more traditional 9 inning no-hitter. Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
threw two no-hitters in : a perfect game
Roy Halladay's perfect game
On May 29, 2010, Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched the twentieth perfect game in baseball history, against the Florida Marlins in Miami. He retired all 27 batters, striking out 11...
during the regular season and a no-hitter in the 2010 National League Division Series
2010 National League Division Series
The 2010 National League Division Series were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2010 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—a "Wild Card"—played in two series from October 6 to 11...
. He is the only major leaguer to have thrown no-hitters in regular season and postseason play.
There have been two pitchers missing their non-pitching hand to throw a no-hitter; Hugh Daily
Hugh Daily
Hugh Ignatius Daily, born Harry Criss , nicknamed "One Arm" Daily, was an Irish American professional right-handed pitcher who played six seasons, for seven different teams; the Buffalo Bisons, the Cleveland Blues, and the St...
, of the Cleveland Blues
Cleveland Blues (NL)
The Cleveland Blues were a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that operated in the National League from 1879 to 1884. In six seasons their best finish was third place in 1880. Hugh Daily threw a no-hitter for the Blues on Sept. 13, 1883. Besides Daily, notable Blues players...
, defeated the Philadelphia Quakers
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
1–0 on September 13, 1883, and Jim Abbott
Jim Abbott
James Anthony Abbott is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, who played despite having been born without a right hand. He played for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers, from 1989 to 1999.He graduated from Flint Central High School and...
, of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, defeated the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
4–0 on September 4, 1993. Daily lost his left hand in a gun accident as a child, and Abbott was born without a right hand.
Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
is the most recent pitcher to throw his second no-hitter. He is the thirtieth pitcher ever to do so. His 2nd no-hitter coming on May 7th, 2011 is only the 7th no-hitter in Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
history.
The record for most no-hitters caught by a catcher is four by Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
catcher Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek
Jason Andrew Varitek is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox...
. He caught no-hitters for Hideo Nomo
Hideo Nomo
is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to...
, Derek Lowe
Derek Lowe
Derek Christopher Lowe is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. He throws and bats right-handed. He is 6'6" and 230 pounds.-Early years:...
, Clay Buchholz
Clay Buchholz
Clay Daniel Buchholz pitches for the Boston Red Sox of major league baseball. On September 1, 2007, in just his second major league start, he recorded a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the third MLB pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second start...
, and Jon Lester
Jon Lester
Jonathan Tyler Lester is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
. Varitek also caught a rain-shortened, five-inning unofficial no-hitter for Devern Hansack
Devern Hansack
Devern Brandon Hansack is a Nicaraguan pitcher who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed.-Professional career:Hansack, born in Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua, Hansack is an Afro-Nicaraguan....
, October 1, 2006.
Five pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in both the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
and the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
: Cy Young
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
, Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
, Jim Bunning
Jim Bunning
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
, Hideo Nomo
Hideo Nomo
is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to...
, and Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
. Only three catchers have caught a no-hitter in each league: Gus Triandos
Gus Triandos
Gus Triandos is a Greek-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball mostly as a catcher but also played as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros...
, Jeff Torborg, and Ron Hassey
Ron Hassey
Ronald William Hassey is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. Hassey began his career with the Cleveland Indians after the Indians drafted him in the 18th round of the 1976 MLB amateur draft...
. Triandos caught Hoyt Wilhelm
Hoyt Wilhelm
James Hoyt Wilhelm was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985....
's 1958 no-hitter and Jim Bunning's perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
's perfect game and Nolan Ryan's first no-hitter, and Hassey caught Len Barker
Len Barker
Leonard Harold Barker III , better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers...
's and Dennis Martinez
Dennis Martínez
José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...
's perfect games.
Team
No team has thrown no-hitters in consecutive games, although it has happened once on consecutive days: On May 5, 1917, Ernie KoobErnie Koob
Ernest Gerald Koob , is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1915-1919 for the St. Louis Browns. On May 5, 1917, Koob pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox...
of the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
no-hit the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, and teammate Bob Groom
Bob Groom
Robert Groom , was a professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in two midwest minor leagues and the Pacific Coast League from 1904–1908, and then in the Major Leagues from 1909 - 1918. He pitched for the Washington Senators , St. Louis Terriers , St...
repeated the feat in the second game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
the following day.
On two occasions, there have been back-to-back no-hitters thrown by each team in a series. On September 17, 1968, Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, with the Cardinals' Ray Washburn
Ray Washburn
Ray Clark Washburn is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Washburn, a right-hander, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from to and the Cincinnati Reds in ....
no-hitting the Giants the following day. On April 30, 1969, Jim Maloney
Jim Maloney
James William Maloney is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds and California Angels...
of the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
no-hit the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, with the Astros' Don Wilson no-hitting the Reds the following day.
The Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
are the only MLB team to fail to get a hit in three different games in a span of 12 months or less, including being victims of two perfect games: the first by White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Alan Buehrle is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He has pitched his entire baseball career for the Chicago White Sox, starting the opening game every season from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011....
on July 23, 2009
Mark Buehrle's perfect game
Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays by retiring all 27 batters he faced on Thursday, July 23, 2009. This event took place in U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois in front of 28,036 fans in attendance...
, the second by Oakland's Dallas Braden
Dallas Braden
Dallas Lee Braden is a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He was drafted out of Texas Tech University in the twenty fourth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Athletics...
on May 9, 2010
Dallas Braden's perfect game
On May 9, 2010, Major League Baseball pitcher Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game. Braden, a member of the Oakland Athletics, pitched the game against the Tampa Bay Rays and retired all 27 batters. The game took place on Mother's Day in the United States and Braden's grandmother, Peggy Lindsey,...
. They were also no-hit by Arizona
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
's Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson is an American professional baseball pitcher.-Early life:Jackson's father, Edwin Jackson, Sr., a military cook, was stationed in Germany at the time of his birth. Jackson is one of 27 major league players who were born in Germany...
on June 25, 2010.
Combined no-hitters
There have been nine combined no-hitters (no-hit games thrown by a starting pitcherStarting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
and his relievers together) in MLB history. The first was on June 23, 1917, when Ernie Shore
Ernie Shore
Ernest Grady Shore was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox during some of their best years in the 1910s....
of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
relieved starter Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, who had been ejected for arguing with the umpire after walking the first batter of the game. The runner at first was caught attempting to steal second base, and Shore then consecutively retired the next 26 batters without allowing any baserunners. This game was long considered a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
by Shore, since he recorded 27 outs in succession, but is only a combined no-hitter under current rules. The second combined no-hitter did not occur until April 30, 1967, when Stu Miller
Stu Miller
Stuart Leonard Miller , is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , New York & San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves...
recorded the final out in relief of Steve Barber
Steve Barber
Stephen David Barber was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1960-1974 for seven different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the Baltimore Orioles...
, a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
.
The first, and only, combined extra inning
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
no-hitter to date occurred on July 12, 1997, when the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
' Francisco Cordova
Francisco Cordova
Francisco Córdova is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from - and who is currently playing in the Mexican Triple-A League for the Petroleros de Minatitlán.-Career:On January 18, 1996, Córdova was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as...
(9 innings) and Ricardo Rincon
Ricardo Rincón
Ricardo Rincón Espinoza was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.Rincón was a left-handed specialist who spent nearly his entire career as a middle reliever and setup pitcher. In his 10-year career, Rincón never started a game and only accumulated 21 saves...
(1 inning) combined to no-hit the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, 3-0. The extra inning no-no was capped off by a three run walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
by pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
Mark Smith
Mark Smith (baseball outfielder)
Mark Edward Smith is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder.-Professional career:Mark Smith played between 1994 and 2003 for the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers...
in the bottom of the tenth inning.
The MLB record for pitchers combining to pitch a no-hitter is six, set by the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
on June 11, 2003. The pitchers were Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
(the starting pitcher), then relievers Pete Munro
Pete Munro
Peter Daniel Munro is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. He has played for the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros...
, Kirk Saarloos
Kirk Saarloos
Kirk Craig Saarloos is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He will join the 2011 Cal State Fullerton coaching staff as an undergraduate assistant coach. Saarloos returns to the school that propelled him to a seven-year major league career with Houston , Oakland and Cincinnati...
, Brad Lidge
Brad Lidge
Bradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...
, Octavio Dotel
Octavio Dotel
Octavio Eduardo Dotel is a Domincan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent....
, and Billy Wagner
Billy Wagner
William Edward Wagner , nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He pitched for the Houston Astros , the Philadelphia Phillies , the New York Mets , the Boston Red Sox , and the Atlanta Braves...
. Oswalt was pulled after one inning because of injury. Munro pitched the most innings, 2⅔. He also allowed five of the six baserunners; three on walks, he also hit Jason Giambi with a pitch and another runner reached while he was in the game on an error by third baseman Geoff Blum
Geoff Blum
Geoffrey Edward Blum is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During his major-league career, he has also played for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox...
. The other baserunner was allowed by Dotel, who threw a third-strike wild pitch to Alfonso Soriano with one out in the eighth; Dotel went on to record the 45th four-strikeout inning in regular-season play. Lidge, who retired all six hitters he faced over the sixth and seventh innings, earned the victory.
Only one pitcher, Mike Witt
Mike Witt
Michael Atwater "Mike" Witt is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.At just twenty years of age, Witt made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1981. Standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall and possessing a great curveball as well as a good fastball, Witt's breakout season came in...
, has thrown a no-hitter as a starter, and also contributed to a no-hitter as a reliever. On September 30, 1984, Witt threw a 1-0 perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
for the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. Witt followed this on April 11, 1990, with an appearance in relief of Mark Langston
Mark Langston
Mark Edward Langston is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners , Montreal Expos , California and Anaheim Angels , San Diego Padres , and Cleveland Indians...
after 7 innings, pitching the last two innings to get the save in another 1-0 win for the Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
over the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
.
Kent Mercker
Kent Mercker
Kent Franklin Mercker is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his seventeen-year career....
and Vida Blue
Vida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
are the only pitchers to throw a no-hitter as a starter and also start a combined no-hitter. Mercker combined with Mark Wohlers
Mark Wohlers
Mark Edward Wohlers is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Atlanta Braves from to...
and Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña Vásquez [PEH-nya] in Cambiaso, Dominican Republic, is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Peña batted and threw right-handed...
while pitching for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
to no-hit the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
on September 11, 1991. This was also the first combined no-hitter in National League history. He threw a complete game no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
on April 8, 1994, also as a member of the Braves. Vida Blue no-hit the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
on September 21, 1970 while pitching for the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. He combined with Glenn Abbott
Glenn Abbott
William Glenn Abbott is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During an 11-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , Seattle Mariners , and the Detroit Tigers...
, Paul Lindblad
Paul Lindblad
Paul Aaron Lindblad was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in , he had recorded the seventh-most appearances of any left-hander in history.Lindblad...
, and Rollie Fingers
Rollie Fingers
Roland Glen Fingers is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During his 18-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers . He became only the second reliever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992...
to no-hit the California Angels on September 28, 1975. This is the only combined no-hitter that was started by a pitcher (Blue in 1971) who won a Cy Young award and MVP award in his career and finished by another pitcher that won the Cy Young award and MVP award in his career (Fingers in 1981). Both pitchers were also All Stars the year they combined for their no-hitter.
Earliest, latest, title-clinching, and postseason no-hitters
Hideo NomoHideo Nomo
is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to...
threw the earliest no-hitter based on calendar date: April 4, 2001, the second game of the season for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. The Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
' Bob Feller
Bob Feller
On December 8, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy, volunteering immediately for combat service, becoming the first Major League Baseball player to do so following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. Feller served as Gun Captain aboard the USS Alabama, and missed four seasons during his service...
left the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
hitless in the 1940 season opener on April 16, the only official Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
no-hitter.
No-hitters have twice been thrown on the final day of the season: the aforementioned Blue-Abbott-Lindblad-Fingers effort for Oakland in 1975, as well as Witt's perfect game in 1984. Hansack's five inning effort took place on the final day of the 2006 season.
The Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
' Mike Scott
Mike Scott (baseball)
Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
no-hit the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
on September 25, 1986, a victory that also clinched the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
title for the Astros; this is the only such occurrence in Major League history to date. In the first game of a double header on September 28, 1951, Allie Reynolds
Allie Reynolds
Allie Pierce Reynolds was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
which clinched a tie for the American League pennant (the pennant was clinched outright in the double header's second game).
There have been two postseason
Major League Baseball postseason
The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of Major League Baseball's regular season. It consists of one best-of-five series and two best-of-seven series...
no-hitters in MLB history, one in each league. For the AL, on October 8, 1956, Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
threw a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in Game 5 of that year's World Series
1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series...
against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The feat had nearly been accomplished nine years earlier by the Yankees' Bill Bevens
Bill Bevens
Floyd Clifford "Bill" Bevens was a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He stood 6' 3" and weighed 210 lb. Bevens was signed by the New York Yankees at the age of 20 in , and spent seven seasons in the minor leagues, where he threw two no-hitters for the Wenatchee Chiefs...
, who came within one out of a no-hitter (though not a perfect game) against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series
1947 World Series
The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning the Series in seven games for their first title since , and the eleventh championship in team history...
, only to lose the game on a pinch-hit double by Cookie Lavagetto
Cookie Lavagetto
Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
. There have been other one-hitters in the World Series, with the lone hit coming earlier in the game than in Bevens' feat. On October 6, 2010, Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
of the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, in the first postseason appearance of his career, threw the second no-hitter in postseason history, and first in the NL, in Game 1 of that year's NLDS
2010 National League Division Series
The 2010 National League Division Series were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2010 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—a "Wild Card"—played in two series from October 6 to 11...
against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
.
Rookie no-hitters
Twenty-one MLB rookies have pitched a no-hitter since 1901. Three pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in their first major league starts; two others have done it in their second major league starts.Bumpus Jones
Bumpus Jones
Charles Leander Jones was a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants...
of the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
threw a no hitter on October 15, 1892 in his first major league game. Jones pitched only eight games in the big leagues, finishing with a career win/loss record of 2-4 and a career earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 7.99.
Ted Breitenstein
Ted Breitenstein
Theodore P. "Ted" Breitenstein was an American Major League Baseball player from St. Louis, Missouri who pitched from to for the St. Louis Browns/Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds...
pitched a no-hitter in his first Major League start on October 4, 1891, however, it was not his first Major League game. He later threw a second no-hitter on April 22, 1898.
On May 6, 1953, Bobo Holloman
Bobo Holloman
Alva Lee "Bobo" Holloman was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns in . Holloman pitched in just 22 games in his lone year, with three wins against seven losses. However, he pitched a no-hitter in his first major league start against the Philadelphia...
pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in his first major league start (also not his first major league game). This game would prove to be one of only three major league wins that Holloman achieved, against seven losses, all in 1953. Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
, then-owner of the Browns, in his autobiography described the 27 outs of Holloman's no-hitter as consisting of hard-hit ground balls, screaming line drives, and deep fly balls. At the other end of the spectrum, there are nine 300-game winners
300 win club
In Major League Baseball, the 300 win club refers to the group of pitchers—24 as of 2011—who have won 300 or more games. While the "300 club" is an informal group, becoming a member is among the highest accomplishments a starting pitcher can achieve. Several members retired soon after winning their...
—Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander , nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.-Career:Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of thirteen...
, Kid Nichols
Kid Nichols
Charles Augustus Nichols , better known as Kid Nichols, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Admired for his steadfast consistency year-in and year-out, Nichols won 361 games, the 7th highest total in major league history...
, Lefty Grove
Lefty Grove
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was a professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, winning 300 games in his 17-year MLB career...
, Early Wynn
Early Wynn
Early Wynn Jr. , nicknamed "Gus", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 25-year baseball career, he pitched for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox...
, Steve Carlton
Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
, Don Sutton, Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...
, Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
and Tom Glavine
Tom Glavine
Thomas Michael Glavine is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.With 164 victories during the 1990s, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176...
—who failed to pitch a no-hitter.
On August 11, 1991, Wilson Alvarez
Wilson Alvarez
Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher...
of the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
pitched a no-hitter in his second career major league start. During Alvarez's first career start, he had allowed three runs on a pair of home runs and did not retire a single batter. Unlike Jones and Holloman, Alvarez went on to win 102 games over a 16-year career.
Clay Buchholz
Clay Buchholz
Clay Daniel Buchholz pitches for the Boston Red Sox of major league baseball. On September 1, 2007, in just his second major league start, he recorded a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the third MLB pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second start...
pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in his second major league start on September 1, 2007 at Fenway Park. The game ended in a 10-0 victory for the Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
Nine-inning no-hitters in a losing effort
Unlike a perfect game, in which no batters reach base, in regular no-hitters batters can reach base in other ways, such as a walk, an error, or a hit batsman, thus it is possible for the team pitching the no-hitter to lose. On April 23, 1964, Ken JohnsonKen Johnson (right-handed pitcher)
Kenneth Travis Johnson is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who became the first and so far only pitcher to lose a complete game nine-inning no-hitter.-No-hit game:...
of the Houston Colt .45s
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
became the only pitcher to lose a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
no-hitter in nine innings when he was beaten 1-0 by Cincinnati. The winning run was scored by Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
in the top of the ninth inning via an error, groundout, and another error.
On April 30, 1967, Steve Barber
Steve Barber
Stephen David Barber was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1960-1974 for seven different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the Baltimore Orioles...
and Stu Miller
Stu Miller
Stuart Leonard Miller , is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , New York & San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves...
of the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
pitched a combined no-hitter, but lost 2-1 to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
.
On July 1, 1990, Andy Hawkins
Andy Hawkins
Melton Andrew "Andy" Hawkins is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.A right-handed starter, Hawkins spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and briefly for the Oakland Athletics...
of the Yankees pitched an eight-inning no-hitter (the Yankees were the away team) against the Chicago White Sox and lost the game 4-0 after an eighth inning which saw three errors. The four runs that the White Sox scored are the most by any team in a game in which they had no hits. Because Hawkins only threw eight innings, this game is not recognized as an official no-hitter by Major League Baseball.
Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo of the Angels also combined for eight innings of no-hit baseball in a 1-0 road loss to the Dodgers June 28, 2008, where Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp
Matthew Ryan "Matt" Kemp is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.Kemp was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 draft and made his major league debut in 2006...
reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on another error, and scored on a sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
. However, since the Angels only pitched eight innings, this game is not recognized as an official no-hitter.
Shortened no-hitters
A game that cannot continue due to weather or darkness may be considered a completed official game, as long as at least five innings have been completed. Until 1991, any such game in which a pitcher held the opposing team without hits was considered an official no-hitter; however under the current rule, a no-hitter must last for at least nine innings to count. As the rule was applied retroactively, thirty-six games in which a no-hitter was interrupted by weather or darkness, with lengths ranging from 5 to 8 innings, are no longer considered no-hitters.In games where the home team leads after the top of the ninth, the visiting pitcher will only pitch 8 innings, and so can complete a full game without allowing a hit but not be credited with an official no-hitter. This has happened four times in MLB history: Silver King
Silver King (baseball player)
Silver King , born Charles Frederick Koenig in St. Louis, Missouri, was a Major League Baseball player from 1886 through 1897....
(1890), Andy Hawkins
Andy Hawkins
Melton Andrew "Andy" Hawkins is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.A right-handed starter, Hawkins spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and briefly for the Oakland Athletics...
(1990), and Matt Young
Matt Young
Matthew John Young is a former American Major League baseball player. Young played for a variety of teams over his career, and is best known for his unofficial no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians while a member of the Boston Red Sox....
(1992) pitched complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s without allowing a hit, but pitched only 8 innings as the losing pitcher from the visiting team, and thus are not credited with a no-hitter. On June 28, 2008, Jered Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
and José Arredondo
José Arredondo
José Juan Arredondo is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds.-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:...
of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
threw 8 no-hit innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
at Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
, but lost the game 1-0 and are not credited with a no-hitter. This is the first near no-hitter of this kind in which more than one pitcher was involved.
No-hitters lost in extra innings
A game that is a no-hitter through nine innings may be lost in extra inningsExtra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
. Under current rules, such a game is not considered an official no-hitter because the pitcher did not keep the opponent hitless for the entire course of the game.
On May 2, 1917, a game between the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
reached the end of nine innings in a hitless scoreless tie, the only time in baseball history that neither team has had a hit in regulation. Both Hippo Vaughn
Hippo Vaughn
James Leslie "Hippo" Vaughn was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs during the 1910s...
of the Cubs and Fred Toney
Fred Toney
Fred Toney , of Nashville, Tennessee, was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals from 1911-1923. His career record was 139 wins, 102 losses, and a 2.69 earned run average...
of the Reds continued pitching into the tenth inning. Vaughn lost his no-hitter in the top of the tenth, as the Reds got two hits and scored the winning run. Toney retired the side in the bottom of the tenth and recorded a ten-inning no-hitter. This game was long considered a "double no-hitter," but Vaughn is no longer credited with a no-hitter under the current rules.
Of the thirteen potential no-hitters that have been lost in extra innings, two were perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
s until the inning when the first hit was surrendered. On May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
pitched a remarkable twelve perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves before losing the perfect game on an error and then the no-hitter and the game in the thirteenth inning. On June 3, 1995, Pedro Martínez
Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
of the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
pitched nine perfect innings against the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
before giving up a hit in the tenth and exiting the game, which the Expos then won 1-0.
Teams without no-hitters
Six current NL teams—the Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Cubs and Reds—all pitched their first no-hitters before the advent of the American League in 1901. The latest original American League team to get their first no-hitter was the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, when George Mogridge
George Mogridge
George Anthony Mogridge born in Rochester, New York was a Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees , Washington Senators , St. Louis Browns and Boston Braves ....
pitched one on April 24, 1917. The last of the original National League teams to get their first no-hitter was the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, when Jesse Haines
Jesse Haines
Jesse Joseph "Pop" Haines, was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher and knuckleballer. He played briefly in 1918, then from 1920 to 1937.-Career:...
pitched one on July 17, 1924.
Two existing franchises in Major League Baseball have not had a pitcher toss a no-hitter. The San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(1969) have gone 41 years without a no-hitter. The Padres' closest bid came against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
on July 18, 1972; Steve Arlin
Steve Arlin
Steven Ralph Arlin is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. In six major league seasons, Arlin pitched for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians .-College Star:...
came within one out of a no-hitter before a Denny Doyle
Denny Doyle
Robert Dennis Doyle is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , California Angels and Boston Red Sox . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
single broke up the bid. Again on July 9, 2011, five Padres pitchers combined for 8 2/3 innings of no-hit pitching against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
before a Juan Uribe
Juan Uribe
Juan C. Uribe Tena is a Dominican Republic professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He began his career in 1997 when he was signed to the Colorado Rockies, and played with the team until December 3, 2003 when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox...
double broke up the bid, followed by a Dioner Navarro
Dioner Navarro
Dioner Favian Navarro Vivas is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher, who is a free agent.-New York Yankees:In 2000, Navarro was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent...
single which won the game, which had been scoreless up to that point.
The franchise that has been in the majors the longest without pitching a no-hitter is the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, who began play in 1962. As of the end of the 2010 season (the Mets' 49th), the franchise had gone 7,806 regular season games and 74 postseason games without a no-hitter. Mets' pitchers, however, have thrown 36 one-hitters.
Though the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
franchise has four no-hitters in its history, including a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
by Dennis Martinez
Dennis Martínez
José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...
, all of them took place during the team's existence as the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
.
Avoiding no-hitters
The record for the longest period of time without being in a no-hit game is held by the Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and is still ongoing: the Cubs have succeeded in getting at least one hit in every game since Sandy Koufax's perfect game
Sandy Koufax's perfect game
Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game in Major League Baseball against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on September 9, 1965. Koufax, by retiring 27 consecutive batters without allowing any to reach base, became the sixth pitcher of the modern era, eighth overall, to...
on September 9, 1965, a period of (7353 games: Including Postseason) as of November 25th, 2011. The second-longest streak without having an official no-hitter pitched against them is held by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, who had a gap of between nine-inning no-hitters from September 21, 1958 to June 10, 2003. However, during this time, the Yankees team hitting streak ended in a rain-shortened official game on July 12, 1990, after . The St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
have the second-longest team hitting streak in MLB history: May 12, 1919 to May 14, 1960, a period of .
Forbes Field
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
from the middle of the 1909
1909 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Detroit Tigers -MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Events:...
season until the middle of the 1970
1970 in baseball
-Major Leagues:*World Series MVP: Brooks Robinson*All-Star Game, July 14 at Riverfront Stadium: National League, 5-4 ; Carl Yastrzemski, MVP-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Navegantes del Magallanes *College World Series: USC...
season, is the only long-term home field where a no-hitter was never thrown during its existence. There are several recently-built fields where no-hitters have not yet been thrown. Two parks in existence for a decade or more have only seen one no-hitter to date—the Orioles' current home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
, and Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
, the notoriously hitter-friendly home of the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
. In both parks, the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter is Hideo Nomo
Hideo Nomo
is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to...
.
International competition
In the 2006 World Baseball Classic2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
Shairon Martis
Shairon Martis
Shairon B. Martis is a Dutch-Antillean professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He pitched for The Netherlands in the 2006 World Baseball Classic...
pitched a no hitter for the Netherlands
Netherlands national baseball team
The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Netherlands. They are currently the top team in Europe and currently the sixth ranked men's baseball team in the IBAF World Rankings....
against Panama
Panama national baseball team
The Panama national baseball team is the national team of Panama. They are currently the 16th ranked baseball team in the world.- Roster :PitchersManuel Acosta,Albenis Castillo,Bienvenido Cedeno,Bruce Chen,Manuel Corpas,Jorge Cortez,...
, however it was only seven innings due to the mercy rule
Mercy rule
A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule , brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team...
.
Superstitions
One of the most common baseball superstitionBaseball superstition
Baseball is a sport with a long history of superstition. From the very famous Curse of the Bambino to some players' refusal to wash their clothes or bodies after a win, superstition is present in all parts of baseball. Many baseball players—batters, pitchers, and fielders alike— perform...
s is that it is bad luck to mention a no-hitter in progress, especially to the pitcher and in particular by their teammates (who sometimes even go so far as to not even be near the pitcher). Some sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
s observe this taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
while others have no reservations about mentioning no-hitters before completion. When Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
pitched his no-hitter against the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in 1962, one of their 120 losses that season, Mets' coach Solly Hemus
Solly Hemus
Solomon Joseph Hemus is a retired infielder, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball.As a player with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, Hemus was primarily a shortstop, although he also saw significant time as a second baseman. He compiled a lifetime batting average...
, apparently trying to jinx Koufax, kept heckling him through the game about pitching a no-hitter, according to a post-game interview Koufax gave after pitching his third no-hitter in 1964. Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, in an interview for Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' Baseball documentary series, relates that Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
, famed for his 1956 World Series perfect game, tried to talk about his no-hitter throughout the contest but much to his chagrin his Yankee teammates avoided his conversation and maintained the superstition.
When Jim Bunning was pitching his perfect game, he deliberately violated this superstition, talking to his teammates about the perfect game's progress in order to dispel the tension in the dugout.
External links
- Chronological list of no-hitters at Retrosheet
- American League no-hitters
- National League no-hitters
- No-hitters alphabetically by umpire
- List at MLB.com. Does not include defunct leagues. Does not include Vic Willis, 08-07-1899.