In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least complete nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter". In most cases, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game; one thrown by two or more pitchers is a combined no-hitter.
A no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff—only 318 have been thrown in MLB history since 1876, an average of about two per year. The most recent major league no-hitter by a single pitcher was thrown on May 10, 2022, by Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels against the Tampa Bay Rays. The most recent combined no-hitter was thrown on November 2, 2022, by starter Cristian Javier, and relief pitchers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros against the Philadelphia Phillies during Game 4 of the 2022 World Series.
The MLB season with the most no-hit games is the 2021 season, in which nine official no-hitters were pitched. Additionally, there were three no-hitters that were not official no-hitters because they were less than 9 innings.
It is possible to reach base without a hit, most commonly by a walk, error, or being hit by a pitch. Other possibilities include the batter reaching first after an uncaught third strike, catcher's interference. A no-hitter in which no batters reach base at all is a perfect game, a much rarer feat. Because batters can reach base by means other than a hit, a pitcher can throw a no-hitter (though not a perfect game) and still give up runs, and even lose the game, although this is extremely uncommon, and most no-hitters are also shutouts. One or more runs were given up in 25 recorded no-hitters in MLB history, most recently by Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a 3–1 win against the Cleveland Indians on July 27, 2011. On two occasions, a team has thrown a nine-inning no-hitter and still lost the game. It is theoretically possible for opposing pitchers to throw no-hitters in the same game, although this has never happened in the major leagues. Two pitchers, Fred Toney and Hippo Vaughn, completed nine innings of a game on May 2, 1917, without either giving up a hit or a run; Vaughn gave up two hits and a run in the 10th inning, losing the game to Toney, who completed the extra-inning no-hitter.
MLB no-hitters
Definition
A no-hitter is defined by MLB: "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 1991 definition by MLB's Committee for Statistical Accuracy caused 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 8+1⁄2 innings but without allowing any hits do not qualify as no-hitters, as the visiting team has only pitched eight innings.
Frequency
MLB has recognized 318 no-hitters thrown since 1876, 23 of which were perfect games. Two 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.
Nine no-hitters were thrown in the 2021 season. The previous record was eight, set in 1884. The previous modern era record (since 1901) was seven, accomplished in 1990, 1991, 2012, and 2015.
The longest period between two no-hitters in the modern era is three years and 44 days, between Bobby Burke on August 8, 1931, and Paul "Daffy" Dean on September 21, 1934. There was a drought of three years and 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 without any no-hitters is 2005.
The greatest span of games without a no-hitter in the major leagues is 6,364, between Randy Johnson's perfect game on May 18, 2004, for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Aníbal 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.
Individual
The pitcher who holds the record for the most no-hitters is Nolan Ryan, who threw seven in his 27-year career. His first two came exactly two months apart 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 became the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter.
Only Ryan, Koufax (four), Cy Young (three), Bob Feller (three), Larry Corcoran (three), and Justin Verlander (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-six pitchers have thrown more than one no-hitter, combined no-hitters not counting. Nolan Ryan has the longest gap between no-hitters: he threw his first as a member of the Los Angeles Angels on May 15, 1973, and his last as a Texas Ranger on May 1, 1991.
The pitcher who holds the record for the shortest time between no-hitters is Johnny Vander Meer, the only pitcher in history to throw no-hitters in consecutive starts, while playing for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938. Besides Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds (in 1951), Virgil Trucks (in 1952), Ryan (in 1973), and Max Scherzer (in 2015) were the only major leaguers to throw two no-hitters during the same regular season.
Jim Maloney also had two no-hitters under the old rules in the 1965 season, both of them taking extra innings. In the first one on June 14, he gave up a home run to Johnny Lewis to open the top of the 11th inning, turning 10 innings of no-hit ball into a 1–0 loss to the New York Mets. According to the rules at the time, this was considered a no-hitter. On August 19, a home run by Leo Cárdenas in the tenth inning allowed Maloney to earn a 1–0 10-inning no-hit win over the Chicago Cubs.
Roy Halladay threw two no-hitters in 2010 – 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.
Two pitchers missing their non-pitching hand have thrown no-hitters; 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 Guardians 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.
The record for most no-hitters caught by a catcher is four, a record shared by Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek and Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz. Varitek 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 on October 1, 2006. Ruiz caught two no-hitters for Roy Halladay, including a perfect game, as well as one for Cole Hamels, and a combined no-hitter for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, and Jonathan Papelbon. Before MLB redefined "no-hitter", Ray Schalk had long held the record of catching four no-hitters, but his first nine-inning no-hitter had ended with a hit in the tenth inning.Victor Caratini is the only player to catch consecutive no-hitters with two different teams, and the tenth to catch consecutive no-hitters at all. the first came on September 13, 2020, with the Chicago Cubs, and the second on April 9, 2021, with the San Diego Padres.
Five pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in both the American League and the National League: Cy Young, Ryan, Jim Bunning, Nomo, and Randy Johnson. Only five catchers have caught a no-hitter in each league: Gus Triandos, Jeff Torborg, Darrell Porter, Ron Hassey, and most recently, Drew Butera. Triandos caught Hoyt Wilhelm's 1958 no-hitter and Jim Bunning's perfect game, Torborg caught Koufax's perfect game and Ryan's first no-hitter, Porter caught Jim Colborn's 1977 no-hitter and Bob Forsch's second no-hitter in 1983, and Hassey caught Len Barker's and Dennis Martínez's perfect games. Butera caught a 2011 no-hitter by Francisco Liriano and a 2014 no-hitter by Josh Beckett.
Team
No team has thrown no-hitters in consecutive games, although it has happened once on consecutive days: On May 5, 1917, Ernie Koob 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, and the Cardinals' Ray Washburn no-hit the Giants the following day. On April 30, 1969, Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds no-hit the Houston Astros, and the Astros' Don Wilson no-hit the Reds the following day. Surprisingly, it was both Maloney's and Wilson's second no-hitter in their careers.
Teams have thrown two straight no-hitters, with no other teams pitching one in the interim, 20 times; most recently by the Houston Astros (a combined no-hitter using 4 pitchers during Game 4 of the 2022 World Series and a combined no-hitter using 3 pitchers during the 2022 regular season). The only team to throw three straight no-hitters was the Milwaukee Braves, with Lew Burdette, followed by consecutive no-no's by Warren Spahn, in 1960 and 1961. Individual pitchers have thrown two straight no-hitters seven times: Addie Joss 1908 and 1910; Vander Meer in 1938; Allie Reynolds in 1951; Warren Spahn in 1960 and 1961; Ryan twice, first in 1973, then in 1974 and 1975; and Homer Bailey in 2012 and 2013. All seven instances were with the same team.
The Cleveland Guardians are the only team to be no-hit three times in a single season, doing so in 2021. They were no-hit by Carlos Rodón of the Chicago White Sox on April 14, 2021. They then failed to record a hit against the Cincinnati Reds' Wade Miley on May 7, 2021. Finally, they were held hitless by Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers on September 11, 2021. Remarkably, Zach Plesac was the Indians' pitcher for all three no-hitters. In addition to these official no-hitters, the Indians also failed to record a hit against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a doubleheader on July 7, 2021. This is not considered an official no-hitter because the game only lasted seven innings.
Combined no-hitters
The vast majority of no-hit games are finished by the starting pitcher, but 19 MLB no-hitters have been thrown by a combination of the starting and relief pitchers. The first such combined no-hitter occurred 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 was subsequently caught stealing and Shore retired the next 26 batters without allowing any baserunners. This game was long considered a perfect game for Shore, since he recorded 27 outs in succession; current rules classify it only as a combined no-hitter. Another major league combined no-hitter did not occur until April 30, 1967, when Stu Miller of the Baltimore Orioles recorded the final out in relief of Steve Barber in a 2–1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
The only combined extra inning no-hitter to date occurred on July 12, 1997. Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Francisco Córdova (9 innings) and Ricardo Rincón (1 inning) combined to no-hit the Houston Astros, 3–0. Victory was secured with a three-run walk-off home run by pinch hitter Mark Smith in the bottom of the tenth inning.
On June 11, 2003, the Houston Astros set a record with six pitchers involved in a combined no-hitter. On that day, Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner combined to hold the New York Yankees hitless. Oswalt was removed after one inning due to injury. Munro pitched the most innings, 2+2⁄3. He also allowed five of the six baserunners, giving up three walks, hitting a batter and seeing another reach on an error by third baseman Geoff Blum. The only 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 forty-fifth four-strikeout inning in regular-season play. Lidge, who retired all six hitters he faced over the sixth and seventh innings, earned the victory. On June 8, 2012, the Seattle Mariners tied this record when Kevin Millwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, and Tom Wilhelmsen combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers. Millwood pitched 6 innings before he was taken out due to a groin injury.
Only one pitcher has thrown a no-hitter as a starter and contributed to a combined no-hitter as a reliever. On September 30, 1984, Mike Witt threw a 1–0 perfect game for the California Angels against the Texas Rangers. On April 11, 1990, pitching the eighth and ninth innings in relief of Mark Langston, Witt earned a save in another 1–0 no-hit victory for the Angels over the Seattle Mariners.
Vida Blue, Kent Mercker, Kevin Millwood, and Cole Hamels are the only pitchers to start both a complete game no-hitter and a combined no-hitter. 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. While with the Atlanta Braves in 1991, Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Peña no-hit the San Diego Padres in the National League's first combined no-hitter. Mercker threw a complete game no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994. In addition to the game above in which Millwood and the Seattle Mariners tied the record by using six pitchers in a no-hitter, Millwood previously threw a complete game no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants on April 27, 2003, while with the Philadelphia Phillies. Both Mercker and Blue were All-Stars in the seasons of their combined no-hitters, and Blue also won the Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award during his career.
In 2022, Cristian Javier started in two combined no-hitters that were both successfully closed out by Ryan Pressly. They became the only pitchers to participate in multiple combined no-hitters.
Combined no-hitters are not recognized by Nippon Professional Baseball.
Opening Day, title-clinching, and postseason no-hitters
The Cleveland Guardians' Bob Feller left the Chicago White Sox hitless in the 1940 season opener on April 16, the first official Opening Day no-hitter. With the 2020 recognition of certain Negro Leagues as major leagues, Leon Day's no-hitter on May 5, 1946, to open the season for the Newark Eagles against the Philadelphia Stars should also be recognized.
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 concurrence in Major League history to date. In the first game of a doubleheader 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 doubleheader's second game.
There have been three postseason no-hitters in MLB history: two solo and one combined. 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. Nine years earlier, the Yankees' Bill Bevens had come within one out of a no-hitter 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' effort.) 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, in Game 1 of the Phillies' NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds. On November 2, 2022, Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros combined to no-hit the Phillies in Game 4 of that year's World Series.
Rookie no-hitters
Twenty-five MLB rookies have pitched a no-hitter since 1901. Four pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in their first major league start; two others have done it in their second major league starts.
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.
On August 14, 2021, Tyler Gilbert of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in his first major league start and fourth appearance. His first major league game came just 11 days before his no-hitter.
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 Álvarez 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.
Charlie Robertson of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game against the Detroit Tigers on April 30, 1922, in his fourth career start and fifth career appearance.
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 Johnson 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 the Cincinnati Reds. 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 New York 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; however, it was considered a no-hitter at the time it was pitched. In the year after the game, the rules regarding no-hitters, (and rules regarding other statistics), were changed and applied retroactively in order to "clean up the record book". The Hawkins "no-hitter" failed on one main provision of the new standards. To be classified a valid no-hitter, the pitcher or pitching staff must hold the opposing team hitless for the entire game and face opposing batters in at least nine full innings, meaning the only way a team can pitch a losing no-hitter on the road is if the game goes to extra innings and the home team manages to win the game on a walk-off without the benefit of a hit.
On April 12, 1992, Matt Young of the Boston Red Sox faced the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a doubleheader. Young allowed no hits but gave up two runs on seven walks and an error by shortstop Luis Rivera, en route to the second unofficial no-hitter by a losing pitcher on the road.
Jered Weaver and José Arredondo of the Los Angeles Angels also combined for eight innings of no-hit baseball in a 1–0 road loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 28, 2008, after 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 once again not recognized as an official no-hitter.
On May 15, 2022, Cincinnati Reds pitchers Hunter Greene and Art Warren also combined to pitch an eight inning no-hit loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The only run of the game was scored when Pirates shortstop Rodolfo Castro scored on a groundout. The game is again not recognized as an official no-hitter, due to only 8 innings of no-hit play.
Shortened no-hitters
A game shortened by previous agreement or 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. There are thirty-seven such shortened no-hitters. As the rule was applied retroactively, there are thirty-five games in which a no-hitter was shortened by previous agreement, weather, or darkness, with lengths ranging from 5 to 8 innings, that are no longer considered no-hitters.
There are four shortened no-hitters that were ended early as part of a previous agreement for travel purposes.
In 2020 and 2021, MLB used 7-inning doubleheaders, and on April 25, 2021, Madison Bumgarner threw the fifth shortened no-hitter in baseball history not shortened by weather or darkness. On July 7, 2021, Collin McHugh, Josh Fleming, Diego Castillo, Matt Wisler, and Pete Fairbanks of the Tampa Bay Rays threw a combined 7-inning no-hitter. No-hitters recorded in 7-inning doubleheaders do not count as official no-hitters unless the game lasts at least nine innings and the no-hitter is preserved through the end of the game.
If the home team leads after the top of the ninth, they do not bat in the bottom of the ninth, thus the visiting team only pitches eight innings. Since it is possible to score runs without getting hits, a visiting team can complete a full game without allowing a hit but not be credited with an official no-hitter. This has happened five times in MLB history. Silver King (1890), Andy Hawkins (1990), and Matt Young (1992) pitched complete games without allowing a hit, but pitched only eight innings as the losing pitcher from the visiting team, and thus are not credited with a no-hitter. In 2008, Jered Weaver and José Arredondo combined to throw eight no hit innings, and in 2022, Hunter Greene and Art Warren also combined to throw eight no-hit innings, while losing the game 1–0.
No-hitters broken up in extra innings
A game that is a no-hitter through nine innings may be broken up in extra innings. Under current rules, such a game (whether won or lost) is not considered an official no-hitter because the pitching staff did not keep the opposing team 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 games 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.
On August 23, 2017, in a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill pitched nine no-hit innings, only to lose his no-hit bid (and the game) on a walk-off homer by Josh Harrison in the 10th inning. This was another potential perfect game; the perfect game was broken up by a ninth-inning error, the first time that had happened in MLB history.
On April 23, 2022, the Tampa Bay Rays threw a combined no-hitter against the Red Sox that was broken up in the tenth inning. J. P. Feyereisen, Javy Guerra, Jeffrey Springs, Jason Adam, Ryan Thompson, and Andrew Kittredge threw nine hitless frames before Matt Wisler surrendered a triple to Boston's Bobby Dalbec, which scored the extra-innings runner on second base. The Rays would go on to walk-off the game in the bottom of the inning with a Kevin Kiermaier home run; Wisler was credited with the win.
Time between franchise no-hitters
All 30 active teams in Major League Baseball have pitched a no-hitter. The last active MLB team to throw its first no-hitter was the San Diego Padres, when pitcher Joe Musgrove struck out ten batters and held the Texas Rangers hitless at Globe Life Field on April 9, 2021, 52 years after the team's debut in 1969. The closest attempt by a single pitcher prior to 2021 was against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 18, 1972: Steve Arlin came within one out of a no-hitter before Denny Doyle broke up his bid with a single. On July 9, 2011, five Padres pitchers combined for 8+2⁄3 innings of no-hit pitching against the Los Angeles Dodgers before Juan Uribe hit a double, which was followed by a Dioner Navarro single that allowed the Dodgers to score to win the game, 1–0.
The Cleveland Guardians have the longest active no-hitter drought; the last such game thrown by the team was Len Barker's perfect game on May 15, 1981.
The New York Mets, who began play in 1962, went without a no-hitter until Johan Santana pitched one on the night of June 1, 2012, against the St. Louis Cardinals at home at Citi Field. The 8–0 victory closed out their era as the oldest franchise without a no-hitter and ended a drought that lasted 8,019 regular-season and 74 post-season games. As of the start of the 2021 season, Mets pitchers have thrown 39 one-hitters.
The longest no-hitter drought in MLB history was suffered by the Philadelphia Phillies between May 1, 1906, and June 21, 1964, a span of 8,945 games.
The Washington Nationals achieved their first no-hitter on September 28, 2014. The franchise has four previous no-hitters in its history as the Montreal Expos, including a perfect game by Dennis Martínez.
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. Among the early National League teams still playing, the last to get their first no-hitter was the St. Louis Cardinals, when Jesse Haines pitched one on July 17, 1924. Of the original American League teams, the last team to get their first no-hitter was the New York Yankees, when George Mogridge pitched one on April 24, 1917. There are a number of short-lived Major League franchises from the nineteenth century that folded without ever recording a no-hitter.
| Date of no-hitter | Pitcher(s) | Franchise | Time since no-hitter |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 14, 2021 | Tyler Gilbert | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 year, 275 days |
| April 8, 1994 | Kent Mercker | Atlanta Braves | 29 years, 38 days |
| May 5, 2021 | John Means | Baltimore Orioles | 2 years, 11 days |
| May 19, 2008 | Jon Lester | Boston Red Sox | 14 years, 362 days |
| June 24, 2021 |
Zach Davies (6 IP) Ryan Tepera (1 IP) Andrew Chafin (1 IP) Craig Kimbrel (1 IP) |
Chicago Cubs | 1 year, 326 days |
| April 14, 2021 | Carlos Rodón | Chicago White Sox | 2 years, 32 days |
| May 7, 2021 | Wade Miley | Cincinnati Reds | 2 years, 9 days |
| May 15, 1981 | Len Barker | Cleveland Guardians | 42 years, 1 day |
| April 17, 2010 | Ubaldo Jiménez | Colorado Rockies | 13 years, 29 days |
| May 18, 2021 | Spencer Turnbull | Detroit Tigers | 1 year, 363 days |
| November 2, 2022 |
Cristian Javier (6 IP) Bryan Abreu (1 IP) Rafael Montero (1 IP) Ryan Pressly (1 IP) |
Houston Astros | 195 days |
| August 26, 1991 | Bret Saberhagen | Kansas City Royals | 31 years, 263 days |
| May 10, 2022 | Reid Detmers | Los Angeles Angels | 1 year, 6 days |
| May 4, 2018 |
Walker Buehler (6 IP) Tony Cingrani (1 IP) Yimi Garcia (1 IP) Adam Liberatore (1 IP) |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 years, 12 days |
| June 3, 2017 | Edinson Vólquez | Miami Marlins | 5 years, 347 days |
| September 11, 2021 |
Corbin Burnes (8 IP) Josh Hader (1 IP) |
Milwaukee Brewers | 1 year, 247 days |
| May 3, 2011 | Francisco Liriano | Minnesota Twins | 12 years, 13 days |
| April 29, 2022 |
Tylor Megill (5 IP) Drew Smith (1.1 IP) Joely Rodríguez (1 IP) Seth Lugo (0.2 IP) Edwin Díaz (1 IP) |
New York Mets | 1 year, 17 days |
| May 19, 2021 | Corey Kluber | New York Yankees | 1 year, 362 days |
| May 7, 2019 | Mike Fiers | Oakland Athletics | 4 years, 9 days |
| July 25, 2015 | Cole Hamels | Philadelphia Phillies | 7 years, 295 days |
| July 12, 1997 |
Francisco Córdova (9 IP) Ricardo Rincón (1 IP) |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 25 years, 308 days |
| April 9, 2021 | Joe Musgrove | San Diego Padres | 2 years, 37 days |
| June 9, 2015 | Chris Heston | San Francisco Giants | 7 years, 341 days |
| May 8, 2018 | James Paxton | Seattle Mariners | 5 years, 8 days |
| September 3, 2001 | Bud Smith | St. Louis Cardinals | 21 years, 255 days |
| July 26, 2010 | Matt Garza | Tampa Bay Rays | 12 years, 294 days |
| July 28, 1994 | Kenny Rogers | Texas Rangers | 28 years, 292 days |
| September 2, 1990 | Dave Stieb | Toronto Blue Jays | 32 years, 256 days |
| October 3, 2015 | Max Scherzer | Washington Nationals | 7 years, 225 days |
Avoiding no-hitters
All modern-era MLB teams have experienced at least two no-hitters pitched against them. The record for the longest period of time without being no-hit is held by the Chicago Cubs, who succeeded in getting at least one hit in every game following Sandy Koufax's perfect game against them on September 9, 1965, until they were no-hit by Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies on July 25, 2015, a period of 49 years, 318 days (7951 games, including 31 postseason games). Koufax's perfect game, together with Bob Hundley's one-hitter, is the only major league game in which the two teams combined for only one hit.
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 44 years, 263 days between nine-inning no-hitters from September 21, 1958, to June 10, 2003. However, during this time, the Yankees failed to collect a hit in a rain-shortened official game on July 12, 1990, after 31 years, 294 days.
Including games of less than nine innings, the St. Louis Cardinals have the second-longest streak between games when they did not collect a hit: May 12, 1919, to May 14, 1960, a period of 41 years, 3 days. Among AL teams, the Kansas City Royals hold the longest such streak: May 15, 1973 to May 19, 2008, a period of 35 years, 4 days.
The longest current streak is held by the Oakland Athletics, last held hitless on July 13, 1991 (31 years, 307 days ago) via a combined no-hitter by four Baltimore Orioles pitchers.
No-hitters and ballparks
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 major league ballpark where a no-hitter was never thrown during its existence. There are three recently built fields where no-hitters have not yet been thrown, Busch Stadium, Truist Park, and Target Field. Four parks presently in existence for a decade or more have only seen one no-hitter each: Coors Field, the hitter-friendly home of the Colorado Rockies (Hideo Nomo on September 17, 1996); the Orioles' current home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, known for being hitter friendly (Nomo on April 4, 2001); PNC Park, the current home of the Pirates, which like Forbes Field is known for being hitter-friendly (Homer Bailey on September 28, 2012); and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, which initially was known as a pitcher's park but was modified with shorter fences in 2013 (Tim Lincecum on July 13, 2013).
American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, has hosted two no-hitters, but only one involved its home team. Both no-hitters were thrown by the Chicago Cubs—Alec Mills threw a no-hitter on September 13, 2020, against the Brewers; and Carlos Zambrano pitched one on September 14, 2008, against the "home" Houston Astros in a game displaced by Hurricane Ike.
Nippon Professional Baseball
There have been 66 no-hitters in Nippon Professional Baseball history. As noted above, unlike Major League Baseball, the Japanese league does not count combined or not shutout no-hitters.
Negro leagues
Ongoing research by baseball historians has revealed the existence of 34 no-hitters thrown in Negro league baseball; the research has had to clarify differences between play from teams and barnstorming, and one of the no-hitters was done at a Benefit All-Star Game. In 2020, Major League Baseball announced the addition of the seven "Negro Major Leagues" that played from 1920 to 1948 as major leagues, which recognized statistics from over 3,400 players that played in those seasons, which will only increase the need for further research and verification over no-hitters.
This presumes that 22 to 24 no-hitters from that said era (22 regular season, one postseason, one All-Star game) could be recognized by official record books such as Elias in future years. There are also six games that were prematurely cut from the intended length of nine innings that were called due to weather that ranged from 1926 to 1945, one of which includes Luther Farrell and his seven-inning no-hitter in Game 5 of the 1927 Colored World Series.
Four pitchers threw two no-hitters: Bill Gatewood, Phil Cockrell, Jesse Winters, and Satchel Paige; Dick Redding, nicknamed "Cannonball", was reported to have thrown as many as 30 no-hitters in his career, but the disparity in finding enough box scores to verify such claim still proves too great for researchers (incidentally, Paige had estimated he threw 55 no-hitters in a long career of league games and barnstorming). At any rate, his no-hitter for the Lincoln Giants against the Cuban Stars is generally considered the first no-hitter documented between two African American teams considered to have played at the highest level. Leon Day threw a no-hitter on May 5, 1946, to open the season for the Newark Eagles against the Philadelphia Stars, which is believed to be the second no-hitter thrown by a pitcher on Opening Day.
Eleven were done in the 1910s, while fourteen were verified to have been done in the 1920s, six in the 1930s, and three in the 1940s. Likely the most famous no-hitter thrown by a player in the Negro leagues was Red Grier, who pitched a no-hitter in Game 3 of the 1926 Colored World Series on October 3, 1926, doing so for the Bacharach Giants against the Chicago American Giants. It was the first no-hitter thrown in a major league postseason game, and no one would throw another in the playoffs until Don Larsen 30 years later.
In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced that it was classifying the seven "Negro Major Leagues" as major leagues, recognizing statistics and approximately 3,400 players who played from 1920 to 1948.
International competition
In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, Shairon Martis pitched a shortened no-hitter for the Netherlands against Panama. The game was ended after seven innings due to the mercy rule. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, four Puerto Rico pitchers (José De León (5.2 innings), Yacksel Ríos (0.1 inning), Edwin Díaz (1 inning), and Duane Underwood Jr. (1 inning)) combined for a shortened perfect game against Israel. The game was ended after eight innings due to the mercy rule.
Other notable no-hitters
Considered to be one of the greatest amateur pitchers in Ontario in the 1950s and 60s, southpaw Jack Roberts pitched two consecutive no-hitters for the Campbellville Merchants – a team with a .771 winning percentage – in an Ontario Baseball Association Intermediate C round-robin final in 1966.
No-hitter with complete game shutout win
Unlike the MLB and WBSC (global sanctioning body of baseball) definitions, a no-hitter is called a "no hit, no run" game in Eastern Asian professional leagues. The requirements are different than the traditional definition; the game is a shutout victory where the starting pitcher pitches the entire game while allowing no hits, and no runs are scored (a no-hitter by the traditional definition runs may score by walk, hit by pitch, defensive interference, errors, stolen bases, and balks). In those leagues, a no-hitter is not regarded as official record unless the starting pitcher pitches the whole game and the opposing team scores zero runs, and the team either wins or the game ends in a tie, which happens when the innings limit is reached. There is a twelve-inning limit in these leagues.
Superstitions
One of the most common baseball superstitions 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 avoid even going near the pitcher). Some sportscasters 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. An early biography of Koufax quoted him as telling his catcher, during that 1964 no-hitter, "Let's just go to the fastball and get this no-hit thing over with."Mickey Mantle, in an interview for Ken Burns' 1994 Baseball documentary series, related 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 Los Angeles Angels rookie Bo Belinsky entered the final inning of his no-hitter in 1962, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Jackie Brandt passed him on the field as the teams changed sides. According to Belinsky biographer Maury Allen, Brandt told Belinsky, "Nice game, Bo, but it's over. I'm leading off with a bunt single." Belinsky got Brandt out to start the final inning of his no-hitter.
In 2009, when Mark Buehrle was pitching his perfect game, as he exited the field after the eighth inning, White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson exclaimed, "Call your sons! Call your daughters! Call your friends! Call your neighbors! Mark Buehrle has a perfect game going into the ninth!" Buehrle retired the side in the ninth to complete the perfect game.
When Jim Bunning was pitching his perfect game in 1964, he deliberately violated this superstition, talking to his teammates about the perfect game's progress in order to dispel the tension in the dugout.
See also
External links
- Chronological list of no-hitters at Retrosheet
- American League no-hitters Archived August 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- National League no-hitters
- No-hitters alphabetically by umpire
- List at MLB.com. Does not include defunct leagues.
