The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball franchise based in Cincinnati. They play in the National League Central division. Also known in their early years as the "Cincinnati Red Stockings" (1882–1889) and "Cincinnati Redlegs" (1954–1959),[1] pitchers for the Reds have thrown 17 no-hitters in franchise history.[2] A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only "when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings", though one or more batters "may reach base via a walk, an error, a hit by pitch, a passed ball or wild pitch on strike three, or catcher's interference".[3] No-hitters of less than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 changed the rule to its current form.[4]

A perfect game is a no-hitter of an even higher order of magnitude. As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[3] Tom Browning is the only Reds pitcher to have throw a perfect game in team history. He accomplished the feat on September 16, 1988, against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. Fierce rivals of the Reds in the 1970s, the Dodgers nonetheless went on to win the World Series only six weeks after Browning's perfect game against them.

While Dick Burns of the Outlaw Reds hurled the first no-hitter in Cincinnati baseball history,[5] Bumpus Jones threw the first no-hitter in Reds history on October 15, 1892. The most recent no-hitter was thrown by Wade Miley on May 7, 2021. Six left-handed starting pitchers have thrown no-hitters in franchise history and the other seven pitchers were right-handed. Eleven Reds no-hitters were thrown at home and only five on the road. They threw two in April, three in May, four in June, three in July, one in August, two in September, and one in October. The longest interval between no-hitters in franchise history was between the games pitched by Browning and Bailey, encompassing over 24 years. Conversely, the shortest interval between no-hitters was a mere four days, between the two consecutive no-hitters pitched by Johnny Vander Meer, on June 11 and June 15, 1938.[6] The team against whom the Reds have thrown the most no-hit games (three) is the Atlanta Braves (formerly "Boston Braves"), who were defeated by Vander Meer (first no-hitter in 1938), Clyde Shoun (in 1944), and Ewell Blackwell (in 1947). There are two no-hitters which the team allowed at least a run. The most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter was by Jim Maloney (in 1965), who allowed 11. Of the 16 no-hitters, the largest margin of victory in a Reds no-hitter was an 11–0 win by Ted Breitenstein in 1898. The smallest and most common margin of victory was 1–0, in wins by Fred Toney (1917), Shoun (1944), Maloney (1965), Browning (1988), and Bailey (2012).

The umpire is also an integral part of any no-hitter. The task of the umpire in a baseball game is to make any decision "which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted Ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a Ball, or whether a runner is safe or out… [the umpire's judgment on such matters] is final."[7] Part of the duties of the umpire making calls at home plate includes defining the strike zone, which "is defined as that area over homeplate [sic] the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap."[7] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.[8] 14 different umpires presided over each of the Reds' 16 no-hitters.

The manager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager is to determine the starting rotation as well as batting order and defensive lineup every game. Managers choosing the right pitcher and right defensive lineup at a right game at a right place at a right time would lead to a no-hitter.[citation needed] 12 different managers have led to the Reds' 16 no-hitters.

List of no-hitters in Reds history

 ¶  Indicates a perfect game
 £  Pitcher was left-handed
 *  Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
# Date Pitcher Final score Base-
runners 		Opponent Catcher Plate umpire Manager Notes Ref
1 October 15, 1892 Bumpus Jones 7–1 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Ossee Schreck Jack McQuaid Charlie Comiskey
  • First career game
  • Final game of the season
  • First no-hitter in franchise history
  • First Reds no-hitter at home
  • First right-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
  • First Reds no-hitter while allowing a run
  • Latest calendar date of Reds no-hitter
 [9]
2 April 22, 1898 Ted Breitenstein£ 11–0 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Heinie Peitz (1) Hank O'Day (1) Buck Ewing
  • First left-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
  • First of two on the same day
  • Largest margin of victory in a Reds no-hitter
  • Earliest calendar date of Reds no-hitter
 [10]
3 July 12, 1900 Noodles Hahn£ 4–0 1 Philadelphia Phillies Heinie Peitz (2) Adonis Terry Bob Allen [11]
4 May 2, 1917 Fred Toney 1–0 (10) 1 @ Chicago Cubs Ivey Wingo Al Orth Christy Mathewson
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Reds no-hitter (tie)
  • Double no-hitter
  • First Reds no-hitter on the road
 [12]
5 May 11, 1919 Hod Eller 6–0 1 St. Louis Cardinals Bill Rariden Hank O'Day (2) Pat Moran [13]
6 June 11, 1938 Johnny Vander Meer£ (1) 3–0 3 Boston Braves Ernie Lombardi (1) George Magerkurth Bill McKechnie (1)
  • First of two no-hitters in back-to-back starts
 [14]
7 June 15, 1938 Johnny Vander Meer£ (2) 6–0 8 @ Brooklyn Dodgers Ernie Lombardi (2) Bill Stewart Bill McKechnie (2)
  • Only pitcher in baseball history to throw two consecutive no-hitters
  • First-ever night game at Ebbets Field
  • Shortest interval between Reds no-hitters
 [15]
8 May 15, 1944 Clyde Shoun£ 1–0 1 Boston Braves Ray Mueller Beans Reardon Bill McKechnie (3)
  • Smallest margin of victory in an Reds no-hitter (tie)
 [16]
9 June 18, 1947 Ewell Blackwell 6–0 4 Boston Braves Ray Lamanno Al Barlick Johnny Neun
  • Against the Brooklyn Dodgers four days later, Blackwell nearly duplicated Vander Meer's double no-hit feat but had this bid broken up in the ninth
 [17]
10 August 19, 1965 Jim Maloney (1) 1–0 (10) 11 @ Chicago Cubs Johnny Edwards Mel Steiner Dick Sisler
  • First game of a doubleheader
  • Smallest margin of victory in an Reds no-hitter (tie)
  • Most baserunners allowed in a Reds no-hitter
 [18]
11 July 29, 1968 George Culver 6–1 8 @ Philadelphia Phillies Pat Corrales Harry Wendelstedt Dave Bristol (1) [19]
12 April 30, 1969 Jim Maloney (2) 10–0 5 Houston Astros Johnny Bench Frank Secory Dave Bristol (2)
  • First game of a two-game series, in which both were no-hitters
 [20]
13 June 16, 1978 Tom Seaver* 4–0 4 St. Louis Cardinals Don Werner Terry Tata Sparky Anderson
  • Seaver finally pitched a no-hitter after having two previous bids broken up in the ninth as a Met, including a perfect game bid in 1969
 [21]
14 September 16, 1988 Tom Browning£¶ 1–0 0 Los Angeles Dodgers Jeff Reed Jim Quick Pete Rose [22]
15 September 28, 2012 Homer Bailey (1) 1–0 2 @ Pittsburgh Pirates Ryan Hanigan (1) Ed Hickox Chris Speier
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Reds no-hitter (tie)
  • Longest interval between Reds no-hitters
 [23]
16 July 2, 2013 Homer Bailey (2) 3–0 1 San Francisco Giants Ryan Hanigan (2) Adrian Johnson Dusty Baker
  • Bailey becomes the sixth pitcher to have thrown both of MLB's two most recent no-hitters, following Nolan Ryan (twice, in June 1975 and September 1974 and in May and June 1973, Warren Spahn in April 1961 and September 1960, Allie Reynolds in September and July 1951, Johnny Vander Meer in June 1938 (see above), and Addie Joss in April 1910 and October 1908)
 [24]
17 May 7, 2021 Wade Miley£ 3–0 2 @ Cleveland Indians Tucker Barnhart Lance Barksdale David Bell
  • Oldest Reds pitcher to throw a no-hitter (34 years, 175 days)
  • First interleague no-hitter in franchise history

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  2. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Franchise History". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics". MLB.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (June 29, 2008). "No-hit win makes no sense, except in baseball". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  5. ^ "Burns Outdoes Himself". scsr.org. Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  6. ^ "Cincinnati Reds on Baseball Almanac". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Umpires: Rules of Interest". MLB.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  8. ^ Bronson, Eric (2004). Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter's Box, Pgs 98–99. ISBN 0-8126-9556-9. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  9. ^ "1892 Reds season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  10. ^ "1898 Reds season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  11. ^ "1900 Reds season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  12. ^ "1917 Reds season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  13. ^ "1919 Reds season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  14. ^ "June 11, 1938 Boston Braves at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  15. ^ "June 15, 1938 Cincinnati Reds at Brooklyn Dodgers Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  16. ^ "May 15, 1944 Boston Braves at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  17. ^ "June 18, 1947 Boston Braves at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  18. ^ "August 19, 1965 Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  19. ^ "July 29, 1968 Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  20. ^ "April 30, 1969 Houston Astros at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  21. ^ "June 16, 1978 St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  22. ^ "September 16, 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  23. ^ "September 28, 2012 Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  24. ^ "July 2, 2013 San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
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