Below is a list of Major League Baseball no-hitters, enumerating every no-hitter pitched in Major League Baseball history. In addition, all no-hitters that were broken up in extra innings or were in shortened games are listed, although they are not currently considered official no-hitters. (Prior to 1991, a performance in which no hits were surrendered through nine innings or in a shortened game was considered an official no-hit game.) The names of those pitchers who threw a perfect game no-hitter are italicized. For combined no-hitters by two or more pitchers on the same team, each is listed with his number of innings pitched. Games which were part of a doubleheader are noted as either the first game or second game.
Through April 1, 2024, there have been 323 no-hitters officially recognized by Major League Baseball (MLB); the first 43 in the pre-modern era (before the formation of the American League in 1901) and the balance in the modern era. Three other games are also noted; one in 1875 by Joe Borden that is accepted as a no-hitter but not recognized by MLB (as MLB does not accept the National Association as a major league), one in 1876 by Borden that is disputed and not recognized by MLB, and one in 1901 by Pete Dowling that is also disputed and not recognized by MLB. The first no-hitter officially recognized by MLB was pitched by George Bradley on July 15, 1876, during the first season of play in the National League. The most recent major league no-hitter was thrown by Ronel Blanco of the Houston Astros against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1, 2024.
An official no-hit game occurs in Major League Baseball (MLB) when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings thrown by the pitcher(s). By definition, a perfect game is also a no-hitter, as no batters reach base (thus there are no hits allowed). In a no-hit game, a batter may still reach base via a walk, an error, a fielder's choice, an intentional walk, a hit by pitch, a passed ball or wild pitch on strike three, or catcher's interference.[1] Also, due to these methods of reaching base, it is possible for a team to score runs without getting any hits.
While the vast majority of no-hitters are shutouts, no-hit teams have managed to score runs in their respective games 25 times. Seven times a team has been no-hit and still won the game: two notable victories occurred when the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Houston Colt .45s (now called the Houston Astros) 1–0 on April 23, 1964, even though they were no-hit by Houston starter Ken Johnson, and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2–1 on April 30, 1967, even though they were no-hit by Baltimore starter Steve Barber and reliever Stu Miller. In another five games, the winning team won despite gaining no hits through eight innings (not needing to play the bottom half of the ninth inning), but these are near no-hitters under the 1991 rule that nine no-hit innings must be completed in order for a no-hitter to be credited.
The pitcher who holds the record for the shortest time between no-hitters is Johnny Vander Meer, the only pitcher in MLB 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), Nolan Ryan (in 1973), and Max Scherzer (in 2015) are the only other major leaguers to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season. Jim Maloney technically threw two no-hitters in the 1965 season, but his first one ended after he allowed 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 once again took a no-hitter into extra innings, but this time he managed to preserve the no-hitter after the Reds scored in the top half of the tenth, becoming the first pitcher to throw a complete game extra inning no-hitter since Fred Toney in 1917.[2] 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.
Ryan holds the record for most no-hitters in a career, with seven. Sandy Koufax is second on the list with four no-hitters.
The first black pitcher to toss a no-hitter was Sam Jones who did it for the Chicago Cubs in 1955. The first Latin pitcher to throw one was San Francisco Giant Juan Marichal in 1963. The first Asian pitcher to throw one was Los Angeles Dodger Hideo Nomo in 1996.
While not credited, position player Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros has played in a record eight no-hitters.[citation needed]
The most recent MLB season completed without a no-hitter was 2005.[notes 1]
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Team | No-hitters pitched | No-hitters pitched against | Most recent pitched | Most recent pitched against |
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Los Angeles Dodgers | 26 | 20 | May 4, 2018 | June 24, 2021 |
Chicago White Sox | 20 | 13 | April 14, 2021 | May 3, 2011 |
Boston Red Sox | 18 | 12 | May 19, 2008 | April 21, 2018 |
Houston Astros | 17 | 5 | April 1, 2024 | June 13, 2012 |
Chicago Cubs | 17 | 7 | June 24, 2021 | July 25, 2015 |
Cincinnati Reds | 17 | 13 | May 7, 2021 | May 7, 2019 |
San Francisco Giants | 17 | 16 | June 9, 2015 | July 2, 2013 |
Atlanta Braves | 14 | 17 | April 8, 1994 | September 1, 2014 |
Cleveland Guardians | 14 | 13 | May 15, 1981 | August 1, 2023 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 14 | 21 | August 9, 2023 | November 2, 2022 |
New York Yankees | 13 | 7 | June 28, 2023 | June 25, 2022 |
Oakland Athletics | 13 | 15 | May 7, 2019 | June 28, 2023 |
Los Angeles Angels | 12 | 7 | May 10, 2022 | September 11, 1999 |
Baltimore Orioles (modern) | 10 | 15 | May 5, 2021 | August 12, 2015 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 10 | 9 | September 3, 2001 | June 1, 2012 |
Detroit Tigers | 9 | 14 | July 8, 2023 | September 29, 2013 |
Minnesota Twins | 7 | 9 | May 3, 2011 | May 2, 2012 |
Washington Nationals (modern) | 7 | 5 | October 3, 2015 | August 9, 2023 |
Miami Marlins | 6 | 3 | June 3, 2017 | September 28, 2014 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 6 | 13 | July 12, 1997 | August 25, 2020 |
Seattle Mariners | 6 | 7 | May 8, 2018 | May 18, 2021 |
Texas Rangers | 5 | 6 | July 28, 1994 | May 19, 2021 |
Kansas City Royals | 4 | 2 | August 26, 1991 | May 19, 2008 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 3 | 3 | August 14, 2021 | June 3, 2017 |
Milwaukee Brewers (modern) | 2 | 4 | September 11, 2021 | September 13, 2020 |
New York Mets | 2 | 8 | April 29, 2022 | October 3, 2015 |
Colorado Rockies | 1 | 3 | April 17, 2010 | June 18, 2014 |
San Diego Padres | 1 | 10 | April 9, 2021 | August 14, 2021 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 6 | July 26, 2010 | May 10, 2022 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 1 | 8 | September 2, 1990 | April 1, 2024 |
Source:[76]
Italics: Multiple pitchers used for combined no-hitter
Bold: Perfect Game
Team | No-hitters pitched | No-hitters pitched against |
---|---|---|
Louisville Colonels | 4 | 2 |
Philadelphia Athletics | 4 | 0 |
Baltimore Orioles (AA/NL) | 3 | 2 |
Buffalo Bisons | 2 | 1 |
Columbus Buckeyes | 2 | 0 |
Providence Grays | 2 | 3 |
Brooklyn Tip-Tops | 1 | 0 |
Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales | 1 | 1 |
Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | 1 | 0 |
Cleveland Blues | 1 | 2 |
Cleveland Spiders | 1 | 0 |
Kansas City Cowboys (AA) | 1 | 1 |
Kansas City Packers | 1 | 1 |
Milwaukee Brewers (UA) | 1 | 0 |
Pittsburgh Rebels | 1 | 1 |
Rochester Broncos | 1 | 0 |
St. Louis Brown Stockings | 1 | 0 |
St. Louis Terriers | 1 | 1 |
Worcester Worcesters | 1 | 2 |
Buffalo Blues | 0 | 1 |
Detroit Wolverines | 0 | 1 |
Hartford Dark Blues | 0 | 1 |
Kansas City Cowboys (UA) | 0 | 1 |
New York Metropolitans | 0 | 1 |
Syracuse Stars | 0 | 1 |
Toledo Blue Stockings | 0 | 1 |
Washington Nationals (AA) | 0 | 1 |
Washington Nationals (UA) | 0 | 1 |
Washington Senators (AA/NL) | 0 | 2 |
Regulation games in which a pitcher or staff pitches less than nine full innings, or in which a hit is allowed in extra innings, are not recognized by MLB as no-hitters. However, before the rules were tightened in 1991, such games were recognized as official no-hitters.
Since the bottom of the ninth inning is not played if the team batting last already has a lead, the pitcher(s) of the team batting first can complete a full game without allowing a hit, but not be credited with an official no-hitter. The winning team may not need to bat in the bottom of the ninth due to runs scored by walks, errors, or anything else not involving hits, in which case the losing team's pitcher(s) will not be credited with an official no-hitter, because they pitched less than nine innings. This has happened only five times in major-league history.[77][78]
Such games were recognized as no-hitters before 1991; however, MLB no longer recognizes such games, past or present, as no-hitters. While in modern baseball the home team always bats last, the visiting team sometimes batted last in the early days of professional baseball.
Under certain circumstances, if a game cannot continue because of the weather, darkness, or any other reason, but at least five innings have been completed, the result can stand as an officially completed game. No-hitters pitched under such circumstances were recognized before 1991, but are no longer recognized by MLB as official no-hitters. In many instances, these games were shortened by rain, by darkness (in the era before lights), or due to timing constraints when teams needed to travel on regularly scheduled trains. Some games were scheduled for less than nine innings as part of a doubleheader, decided "by agreement" between managers prior to the start of the game (to avoid darkness or in consideration of travel schedules), or by league rule (2020-21 MLB rules because of pandemic restrictions).
Names listed in bold signify the pitcher was pitching a perfect game at the time the game was ended; such games are not recognized as official perfect games.
MLB previously recognized no-hitters when the only hits allowed occurred in extra innings, until the rules were tightened in 1991. Names listed in bold signify the pitcher was pitching a perfect game through nine innings.