No-hitter

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In baseball, a no-hitter (also known as a no-hit game) refers to a game in which one of the teams prevented the other from getting a hit. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter". Throwing a no-hitter is rare and considered an extraordinary accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff. In most cases in the professional game, no-hitters are accomplished by a single pitcher who throws a complete game.

Because it is possible to reach base without a hit (most commonly via walk or error), the term no-hitter does not imply that the opposing team had no baserunners. Thus, although it is extremely uncommon, it is possible for a pitcher to throw a no-hitter and yet lose the game. The case of a no-hitter in which the other team has not reached base at all is called a perfect game, which is a victory, a shutout, and a no-hitter. In a perfect game, a pitcher or combination of pitchers on the same team will have retired all batters faced during the game.

One of the most common baseball superstitions is that it is bad luck to mention a no-hitter in progress, especially to the pitcher.[1] Some sportscasters observe this taboo, while others have no reservations about mentioning no-hitters before completion (and are sometimes blamed for jinxing no-hitters). In the age of television, cutaways to commercial breaks often feature a line score, visually informing the viewer of the no-hitter in progress even if the announcer keeps silent about it. When Sandy Koufax pitched his no-hitter against the Mets in 1962, 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.

Contents

[edit] No-hitters in Major League Baseball

Note: Records listed herein are up to date through the 2008 regular season and post-season games.

[edit] Definition

A no-hitter is defined by Major League Baseball thusly: "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."[2] By this rule, a pitcher who throws fewer than nine no-hit innings (for example, a no-hitter called on account of rain after seven innings) is not credited with a no-hitter, and neither is a pitcher who throws nine no-hit innings but gives up a hit in extra innings. This rule was instituted by MLB's Committee for Statistical Accuracy in 1991, and resulted in several pitchers who had thrown no-hitters of fewer than nine innings being stripped of credit for an official no-hitter.[3]

[edit] Records

In Major League Baseball, no-hitters are rare, occurring about twice a season on average. 256 no-hitters have been thrown in Major League history; only 17 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 most recent no-hitter was thrown by Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox on May 19, 2008. Lester and the Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals, 7-0.

The pitcher who holds the record for the most no-hitters is Nolan Ryan, who threw seven in his long career and was regarded as the undisputed king of no-hitters. 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 won two more with the Angels: September 28, 1974 and June 1, 1975. Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter with the Houston Astros on September 26, 1981, which broke Sandy Koufax's record. His sixth and seventh no-hitters came with the Texas Rangers on June 11, 1990, and May 1, 1991, respectively. When he tossed number seven at age 44, he was also the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter.

The pitcher who holds the record for the longest period between no-hitters is Randy Johnson, who 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, who is the only pitcher in history to throw no-hitters in two consecutive starts, for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.[4] Twenty-five men in all have thrown more than one no-hitter. Only Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax (four), Cy Young (three), Bob Feller (three), and Larry Corcoran (three) have pitched more than two.[5]

Jason Varitek has caught four no-hitters, all with the Red Sox, the most of any catcher: Hideo Nomo's in 2001, Derek Lowe's in 2002, rookie Clay Buchholz's in 2007 and Jon Lester's in 2008.[6]

[edit] Combined no-hitters

There have been nine combined no-hitters; that is, when multiple pitchers collectively throw a no-hitter during a game. The first was on June 23, 1917, with Babe Ruth as the starting pitcher. After walking the first batter of the game, Ruth was ejected for arguing with an umpire. Ernie Shore relieved Ruth; the runner at first was caught attempting to steal second base, and Shore then consecutively retired the next 26 batters without allowing any baserunners. 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 Major League 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.

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. Then on April 11, 1990, Witt relieved 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.

[edit] Opening Day, title-clinching, and post-season

The Cleveland Indians' Bob Feller left the Chicago White Sox hitless in the 1940 season opener on April 16. This remains the only complete-game Opening Day no-hitter to date. No-hitters have twice been thrown on the final day of the season: on September 28, 1975, four Oakland Athletics pitchers (Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad, and Rollie Fingers) tossed a combined no-hitter against the California Angels; and on September 30, 1984, Mike Witt of the Angels pitched a perfect game against the Texas Rangers.

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 coincidence in Major League history to date.

On October 8, 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees became the only person in Major League history to throw a no-hitter during the postseason. Larsen's victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers was also a perfect game. It remains the only no-hitter in World Series history, and indeed the only such feat in any postseason game. Another pitcher to come close to such a feat was the Yankees' Bill Bevens, who came within one out of no-hitting 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.

[edit] Rookie no-hitters

Most recently, rookie Clay Buchholz pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox in his second major league start against the Baltimore Orioles. The game, which took place on September 1, 2007, at Fenway Park, ended in a 10-0 victory for the Red Sox. Buchholz is now in his second season with the Red Sox.

The most notorious of the latter is probably Bobo Holloman. In 1953, Holloman pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in his first major league start (not his first major league game though, as he had made a few relief appearances earlier in the season). 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.

An arguably more mediocre pitcher throwing a no hitter occurred when Bumpus Jones of the Cincinnati Reds threw a no hitter on October 15, 1892 in his first major league start. 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.

In 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 allowed three runs on a pair of home runs and did not retire a single batter. Bud Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals threw a no-hitter toward the end of his rookie season (2001); he started the following season with the Cardinals, then was demoted to the minor leagues after a lackluster start to his second season. He never pitched in the majors again and has since retired.

In all, 22 rookies have pitched a no-hitter since 1901.[7]

[edit] Pitched a no-hitter and lost

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 to lose a no-hitter. On April 23, 1964, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt 45's 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.[8] In 1967, Steve Barber and Stu Miller of the Baltimore Orioles pitched a combined no-hitter, but lost 2-1 to the Detroit Tigers.[9]

Three pitchers – Silver King (1890), Andy Hawkins (1990), and Matt Young (1992) – have lost eight-inning unofficial no-hitters where the home team won the game. They are not credited with no-hitters because they did not go nine innings.[10][11]

[edit] Lost in extra innings

A game that is a no-hitter through nine innings may be lost in extra innings. On May 2, 1917, Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitched a hitless, scoreless tie after nine innings – the only time in baseball history that neither team has had a hit in regulation. The Reds got two hits in the top of the tenth inning and scored the winning run. In the bottom of the tenth, Toney retired the side and recorded a ten-inning no-hitter. (The closest any game has come since to having no hits in regulation was in 1965, when Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game and opposing pitcher Bob Hendley of the Cubs gave up only one hit to the Dodgers, in the seventh inning.)

A total of thirteen potential no-hitters have been lost in extra innings; two were perfect games. In 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched twelve perfect innings before losing the no-hitter and the game to the Milwaukee Braves in the thirteenth inning. Pedro Martínez, then a member of the Montreal Expos, was the last pitcher to lose a no-hitter in the tenth against the San Diego Padres in 1995.[12] Vaughn, Haddix, Martínez, and the other ten pitchers who lost no-hitters in extra innings are not credited with official no-hitters because they did not keep the opponent hitless for the entire course of the game.

[edit] Teams without no-hitters

Four teams in Major League Baseball have not had a pitcher toss a no-hitter. Two of the four are recent expansion teams: the Tampa Bay Rays (1998) and the Colorado Rockies (1993). The other two are longer established teams. The San Diego Padres (1969) have gone 38 years without a no-hitter, with Steve Arlin coming the closest, losing his no-hit bid with one out to go vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on July 18, 1972.[13]

The team that has been in the league the longest without a no-hitter is the New York Mets, who began play in 1962. Mets' pitchers have thrown 30 one-hitters, and fourteen pitchers that have played for the Mets have thrown no-hitters for other teams. Nolan Ryan, traded from the Mets after the 1971 season, threw seven no-hitters with all of the three other teams he pitched for over his 27-year career. Seaver threw five one-hitters with the Mets, including three that were no-hitters broken up in the 9th inning. He would finally toss his lone career no-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds after being traded from Queens on June 16, 1978. Perhaps as painful, two Mets stars during the 1980s would throw no-hitters for the cross-town New York Yankees in the twilight of their careers: Dwight (Doc) Gooden on May 14, 1996, and David Cone (a perfect game) on July 18, 1999. Hideo Nomo, who played for the Mets during the 1998 season, holds the distinction of throwing no-hitters before and after leaving the Mets, throwing no-hitters on September 17, 1996 (for the Los Angeles Dodgers) and April 4, 2001 (for the Boston Red Sox).

Of the teams that have achieved no-hitters, the longest current "drought" belongs to the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs clustered four of them from three pitchers during 1969-1972, with Milt Pappas having pitched the last one to date, on September 2, 1972. They have not achieved one in the intervening 35 years.

[edit] Escaping no-hitters

Every modern-era team, including all the expansion teams, has suffered at least one no-hitter pitched against them. The team escaping being no-hit for the longest time was the New York Yankees, from September 20, 1958 to June 11, 2003, a span of almost 45 years. The longest current streak belongs to the Chicago Cubs, at 42-plus years, who were last victims of a no-hitter at the hand of Sandy Koufax's perfect game on September 9, 1965.

Spacious Forbes Field in Pittsburgh went through its entire 62 seasons of use (mid 1909 - mid 1970) without a no-hitter being pitched there.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gmelch, George (September 2000). Revised version of "Superstition and Ritual in American Baseball" from Elysian Fields Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3, 1992, pp. 25-36. McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. Archived from the original on 2007-04-21.
  2. ^ The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Official info: Rules, Regulations and Statistics
  3. ^ Baseball Almanac - Year In Review : 1991 National League
  4. ^ Johnny Vander Meer's Two Consecutive No-Hitters by Baseball Almanac
  5. ^ No Hitter Records by Baseball Almanac
  6. ^ Jason Varitek catches spot in history books
  7. ^ The Official Site of Major League Baseball: History: Rare Feats
  8. ^ Retrosheet Boxscore: Cincinnati Reds 1, Houston Colt .45s 0
  9. ^ Retrosheet Boxscore: Detroit Tigers 2, Baltimore Orioles 1 (1)
  10. ^ American League No Hitters by Baseball Almanac
  11. ^ The Chronology - 1890 | BaseballLibrary.com
  12. ^ June 3, 1995 Montreal Expos at San Diego Padres Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com
  13. ^ July 18, 1972 Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

[edit] External links