This is something that only a baseball geek like me would be interested in....a list of every no-hitter in baseball history, by date. The idea occurred to me when Scott Baker took a no-no into the seventh today against Kansas City, and it was noted that Baker would be the first-ever pitcher to hurl a no-hitter on May 3. Of course, Baker then proceeded to give up five runs in the seventh and lose the game altogether, but c'est la vie. It's not like I'm going to just give up on the post two-thirds of the way through and start talking about, like, the best way to make omelets or something. That analogy makes no sense.
Here's the list, with maybe an editorial comment or two. The stars besides the name means that this pitcher threw a perfect game.
April 1: Ronel Blanco
Here's the list, with maybe an editorial comment or two. The stars besides the name means that this pitcher threw a perfect game.
April 1: Ronel Blanco
April 4: Hideo Nomo
April 7: Mike Fiers, Jack Morris, Ken Forsch.......My pal Kyle, who is the president and chairman of the Jack Morris Is A Hall Of Famer, Dammit! club, can take solace in the fact that Morris threw a no-no and Bert Blyleven didn't. Well, I have no counter-argument for that. Morris 1, Blyleven 0.
April 8: Kent Mercker
April 9: Joe Musgrove
April 11: Angels combined
April 14: Carlos Rodon, Eddie Cicotte
April 15: Juan Nieves, Rube Marquard
April 16: Bob Forsch, Burt Hooton, Bob Feller
April 17: Ubaldo Jimenez, Bill Stoneman
April 18: Mark Buehrle
April 20: Addie Joss
April 21: Sean Manaea, Jake Arrieta, Philip Humber*
April 22: Chris Bosio, Jay Hughes, Ted Breitenstein.........Hughes and Breitenstein threw their no-hitters on the same day in 1898. If you were a rooter who had managed to take a horseless carriage and be in both Cincinnati and Baltimore on 4/22/98, you would've certainly gotten your nickel's worth!
April 23: Ken Johnson, Ed Head.......we have our first entry in the 'which day has the most pitchers with the funniest names' contest. Ed Head is pretty great, but when you combine that with the fact that he's paired with a guy named Johnson, well, that's just gold.
April 24: George Mogridge
April 27: Kevin Millwood, Derek Lowe, Scott Erickson, Steve Busby, Tom Phoebus, Jim Tobin.......six no-hitters thrown on one day! Outstanding!
April 28: Warren Spahn
April 29: Mets combined, Wes Ferrell
April 30: Jim Maloney, Steve Barber, Bob Feller, Tex Carleton, Charlie Robertson*......Wilson and Jim Maloney on April 30 threw their no-hitters in back-to-back games of the same two-game series, Maloney for the Reds and Wilson for the Astros. Best two-game series in baseball history?
May 1: Nolan Ryan, Don Wilson, Johnny Lush, Al Atkinson
May 2: Jered Weaver, Fred Toney...........Toney's game was pretty crazy. Both Toney and Hippo Vaughn threw no-hitters through nine innings. Vaughn let up a couple of hits and a run in the top of the 10th, while Toney finished things off in the bottom of the innings to complete the no-hitter. This game provided the inspiration behind my "All right, double no-hitter!" statement whenever I attend a game that is hitless after the first inning. One day, it'll happen. It'll happen. I just need to attend another game started by a man nicknamed after a hippopotamus.
May 3: Francisco Liriano
May 4: Dodgers combined
May 5: John Means, Bo Belinsky, Ernie Koob, Cy Young*
May 6: Bobo Holloman, Cliff Chambers, Bob Groom..........Koob and Groom threw their no-hitters on back-to-back days against the White Sox, who went on to win the World Series that year. Holloman's no-hitter came in his first big-league start.
May 7: Wade Miley, Justin Verlander, Jesse Barnes
May 8: James Paxton, Catfish Hunter*, Carl Hubbell, Big Jeff Pfeffer.........Stay with me now, since this gets confusing. Big Jeff Pfeffer's real name was Francis Pfeffer. He got his nickname because he was the older brother of ANOTHER big-league pitcher, whose name actually was Jeff Pfeffer. So it would be like if we called Venus Williams not by her actual name, but 'Big Serena' Williams. Conpfusing. I love how I spent all this time ignoring the two Hall-of-Famers who threw no-nos on May 8 and focused on crappy ol' Big Jeff.
May 9: Dallas Braden*
May 10: Reid Detmers, Charlie Lea
May 11: Al Leiter, Sandy Koufax, Hod Eller
May 12: A.J. Burnett, Carl Erskine, Sam Jones, Chief Bender.............Yeah, that's right, A.J. Burnett. He racked up nine walks, so the loser couldn't even get a no-hitter without being mediocre in some way. Have fun pitching at the bandbox that is New Yankee Stadium, jerk.
May 14: Doc Gooden, Jim Colborn
May 15: Len Barker*, Nolan Ryan, Don Cardwell, Virgil Trucks, Clyde Shoun...........Barker's perfect game came against the Blue Jays. Sigh.
May 17: David Wells*, Don Nottebart
May 18; Spencer Turnbull, Randy Johnson*
May 19: Corey Kluber, Jon Lester
May 23: Tommy Greene
Mar 24: Al Atkinson
May 25: Josh Beckett, Deacon Phillippe
May 27: Adonis Terry............I'd be interested to know how he got the nickname 'Adonis.' Was he a real ladies' man? Was he ugly as sin, and it was one of those ironic nicknames like calling a tall guy "Shorty" or a fat guy "Skinny" or a Brock graduate "Brainy"?
May 29: Roy Halladay*, Ed Morris
May 30: Dennis Eckersley
May 31: Joe Benz
June 1: Johan Santana, Nolan Ryan, Bill Dietrich
June 2: Randy Johnson
June 3: Edinson Volquez, Ken Holtzman, Dutch Leonard
June 4: Sandy Koufax
June 5: Frank Mountain........I have no evidence to back this up (it's not listed on Baseball-Reference.com), but I suspect Frank Mountain was probably really well-endowed. I mean, the guy's name is Frank Mountain. FRANK. MOUNTAIN.
June 6: Henry Porter
June 9: Chris Heston, Mariners combined
June 10: Kevin Brown, Sonny Siebert
June 11: Astros combined, Nolan Ryan, Johnny Vander Meer
June 12: Justin Verlander, Dock Ellis, Jim Wilson, Lee Richmond*...............Ellis famously threw his no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. I love how this has become a wacky tale of pro sports in the 1970's, rather than a chilling tale of a man throwing 90-mph baseballs at people's bodies while high out of his mind.
June 13: Matt Cain*, Christy Mathewson
June 15: Juan Marichal, Johnny Vander Meer...........Vander Meer, of course, is the only man to ever throw no-hitters in back-to-back starts. He also made four All-Star teams, but let's be honest, any sucker can make an All-Star team. Back-to-back no-nos are a gateway to immortality.
June 16: Tom Seaver, Tom Hughes
June 17: John Montgomery Ward*
June 18: Clayton Kershaw, Don Wilson, Ewell Blackwell
June 19: Steve Busby, Carl Erskine
June 20: Max Scherzer
June 21: Jim Bunning*, Rube Foster
June 22: Tom Lovett
June 23: Rick Wise, Ruth/Shore...........The Babe Ruth/Ernie Shore joint was a combined no-hitter, but I specified their names due to the weird nature of the game on 6/23/1917. The Babe started the game, walked the first batter, and then got into an argument with the umpire and was ejected. Shore comes in to relieve, picks the man off of first, and then proceeds to sit down the next 26 batters in a row for the no-hitter and (no thanks to Ruth) almost-perfect game. Not to be outdone in the oddity department, Rick Wise didn't just throw a no-hitter in 1971, he also hit two homers in the same game. On the way home, he stopped to rescue people from a plane crash. Then, he found a cure for polio. Then he was elected President. You might wonder why an election took place on June 23, but after Wise's day, the American people decided that democracy took a back seat to honouring this remarkable man.
April 7: Mike Fiers, Jack Morris, Ken Forsch.......My pal Kyle, who is the president and chairman of the Jack Morris Is A Hall Of Famer, Dammit! club, can take solace in the fact that Morris threw a no-no and Bert Blyleven didn't. Well, I have no counter-argument for that. Morris 1, Blyleven 0.
April 8: Kent Mercker
April 9: Joe Musgrove
April 11: Angels combined
April 14: Carlos Rodon, Eddie Cicotte
April 15: Juan Nieves, Rube Marquard
April 16: Bob Forsch, Burt Hooton, Bob Feller
April 17: Ubaldo Jimenez, Bill Stoneman
April 18: Mark Buehrle
April 20: Addie Joss
April 21: Sean Manaea, Jake Arrieta, Philip Humber*
April 22: Chris Bosio, Jay Hughes, Ted Breitenstein.........Hughes and Breitenstein threw their no-hitters on the same day in 1898. If you were a rooter who had managed to take a horseless carriage and be in both Cincinnati and Baltimore on 4/22/98, you would've certainly gotten your nickel's worth!
April 23: Ken Johnson, Ed Head.......we have our first entry in the 'which day has the most pitchers with the funniest names' contest. Ed Head is pretty great, but when you combine that with the fact that he's paired with a guy named Johnson, well, that's just gold.
April 24: George Mogridge
April 27: Kevin Millwood, Derek Lowe, Scott Erickson, Steve Busby, Tom Phoebus, Jim Tobin.......six no-hitters thrown on one day! Outstanding!
April 28: Warren Spahn
April 29: Mets combined, Wes Ferrell
April 30: Jim Maloney, Steve Barber, Bob Feller, Tex Carleton, Charlie Robertson*......Wilson and Jim Maloney on April 30 threw their no-hitters in back-to-back games of the same two-game series, Maloney for the Reds and Wilson for the Astros. Best two-game series in baseball history?
May 1: Nolan Ryan, Don Wilson, Johnny Lush, Al Atkinson
May 2: Jered Weaver, Fred Toney...........Toney's game was pretty crazy. Both Toney and Hippo Vaughn threw no-hitters through nine innings. Vaughn let up a couple of hits and a run in the top of the 10th, while Toney finished things off in the bottom of the innings to complete the no-hitter. This game provided the inspiration behind my "All right, double no-hitter!" statement whenever I attend a game that is hitless after the first inning. One day, it'll happen. It'll happen. I just need to attend another game started by a man nicknamed after a hippopotamus.
May 3: Francisco Liriano
May 4: Dodgers combined
May 5: John Means, Bo Belinsky, Ernie Koob, Cy Young*
May 6: Bobo Holloman, Cliff Chambers, Bob Groom..........Koob and Groom threw their no-hitters on back-to-back days against the White Sox, who went on to win the World Series that year. Holloman's no-hitter came in his first big-league start.
May 7: Wade Miley, Justin Verlander, Jesse Barnes
May 8: James Paxton, Catfish Hunter*, Carl Hubbell, Big Jeff Pfeffer.........Stay with me now, since this gets confusing. Big Jeff Pfeffer's real name was Francis Pfeffer. He got his nickname because he was the older brother of ANOTHER big-league pitcher, whose name actually was Jeff Pfeffer. So it would be like if we called Venus Williams not by her actual name, but 'Big Serena' Williams. Conpfusing. I love how I spent all this time ignoring the two Hall-of-Famers who threw no-nos on May 8 and focused on crappy ol' Big Jeff.
May 9: Dallas Braden*
May 10: Reid Detmers, Charlie Lea
May 11: Al Leiter, Sandy Koufax, Hod Eller
May 12: A.J. Burnett, Carl Erskine, Sam Jones, Chief Bender.............Yeah, that's right, A.J. Burnett. He racked up nine walks, so the loser couldn't even get a no-hitter without being mediocre in some way. Have fun pitching at the bandbox that is New Yankee Stadium, jerk.
May 14: Doc Gooden, Jim Colborn
May 15: Len Barker*, Nolan Ryan, Don Cardwell, Virgil Trucks, Clyde Shoun...........Barker's perfect game came against the Blue Jays. Sigh.
May 17: David Wells*, Don Nottebart
May 18; Spencer Turnbull, Randy Johnson*
May 19: Corey Kluber, Jon Lester
May 23: Tommy Greene
Mar 24: Al Atkinson
May 25: Josh Beckett, Deacon Phillippe
May 27: Adonis Terry............I'd be interested to know how he got the nickname 'Adonis.' Was he a real ladies' man? Was he ugly as sin, and it was one of those ironic nicknames like calling a tall guy "Shorty" or a fat guy "Skinny" or a Brock graduate "Brainy"?
May 29: Roy Halladay*, Ed Morris
May 30: Dennis Eckersley
May 31: Joe Benz
June 1: Johan Santana, Nolan Ryan, Bill Dietrich
June 2: Randy Johnson
June 3: Edinson Volquez, Ken Holtzman, Dutch Leonard
June 4: Sandy Koufax
June 5: Frank Mountain........I have no evidence to back this up (it's not listed on Baseball-Reference.com), but I suspect Frank Mountain was probably really well-endowed. I mean, the guy's name is Frank Mountain. FRANK. MOUNTAIN.
June 6: Henry Porter
June 9: Chris Heston, Mariners combined
June 10: Kevin Brown, Sonny Siebert
June 11: Astros combined, Nolan Ryan, Johnny Vander Meer
June 12: Justin Verlander, Dock Ellis, Jim Wilson, Lee Richmond*...............Ellis famously threw his no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. I love how this has become a wacky tale of pro sports in the 1970's, rather than a chilling tale of a man throwing 90-mph baseballs at people's bodies while high out of his mind.
June 13: Matt Cain*, Christy Mathewson
June 15: Juan Marichal, Johnny Vander Meer...........Vander Meer, of course, is the only man to ever throw no-hitters in back-to-back starts. He also made four All-Star teams, but let's be honest, any sucker can make an All-Star team. Back-to-back no-nos are a gateway to immortality.
June 16: Tom Seaver, Tom Hughes
June 17: John Montgomery Ward*
June 18: Clayton Kershaw, Don Wilson, Ewell Blackwell
June 19: Steve Busby, Carl Erskine
June 20: Max Scherzer
June 21: Jim Bunning*, Rube Foster
June 22: Tom Lovett
June 23: Rick Wise, Ruth/Shore...........The Babe Ruth/Ernie Shore joint was a combined no-hitter, but I specified their names due to the weird nature of the game on 6/23/1917. The Babe started the game, walked the first batter, and then got into an argument with the umpire and was ejected. Shore comes in to relieve, picks the man off of first, and then proceeds to sit down the next 26 batters in a row for the no-hitter and (no thanks to Ruth) almost-perfect game. Not to be outdone in the oddity department, Rick Wise didn't just throw a no-hitter in 1971, he also hit two homers in the same game. On the way home, he stopped to rescue people from a plane crash. Then, he found a cure for polio. Then he was elected President. You might wonder why an election took place on June 23, but after Wise's day, the American people decided that democracy took a back seat to honouring this remarkable man.
June 24: Cubs combined
June 25: Astros combined, Tim Lincecum, Edwin Jackson, Jose Jimenez
June 26: Earl Wilson
June 27: Jerry Reuss, Larry Corcoran
June 28: Domingo German*
June 29: Fernando Valenzuela, Dave Stewart............These took place on the exact same day in 1990, Stewart's against my poor Blue Jays.
June 30: Sandy Koufax, Bob Lemon, Cy Young
July 1: Bob Feller, Walter Johnson.........Canada Day wins the award for the day with the best no-hit pitchers. It's hard to top a combo of Rapid Robert and the Big Train. The June 30th combo of Koufax and Cy Young is also pretty tough, but on that day, Bob Lemon actually brings down the average. [falsetto] LEMON~~~~! SEE THROUGH IN THE SUNLIGHT. SHE. WORE. LEMON~~~~! [/falsetto]
July 2: Homer Bailey
July 3: Clyde Wright
July 4: Dave Righetti, George Mullin, Hooks Wiltse
July 8: Tigers combined, Red Donahue
July 9: Larry Dierker
July 10: Jonathan Sanchez, Don Black
July 12: Angels combined, Cordova/Rincon, Allie Reynolds, Noodles Hahn..........the Francisco Cordova/Ricardo Rincon no-hitter was a case where Cordova threw nine innings, Rincon threw the tenth, and then the Pirates won the game in the bottom of the 10th. It was the only combined extra-inning no-hitter in MLB history. Also, Noodles Hahn threw the first no-hitter of the 1900's. I have no idea why he was called 'Noodles.' Sorry.
July 13: Tim Lincecum, Orioles combined
July 14: Ramon Martinez, Mel Parnell
July 15: Nolan Ryan, Christy Mathewson, George Bradley........This combo gives Feller/Johnson a strong run for their money, considering that Bradley had a career 2.42 ERA between 1875 and 1884. Bradley's no-no was also technically the first in Major League history, since MLB flip-flops on whether or not the National Association is an officially recognized league, thus casting a pall over Joe Borden's 1875 no-hitter.
July 17: Jesse Haines
July 18: David Cone*
July 19: Dick Bosman
July 20: Bill Singer, Jim Bunning, Mal Eason
July 22: Weldon Henley
July 23: Mark Buehrle*
July 24: Adonis Terry
July 25: Dylan Cease, Cole Hamels, Charlie Radbourn
July 26: Matt Garza, Ed Seward
July 27: Ervin Santana, John Clarkson
July 28: Kenny Rogers*, Dennis Martinez*, White Sox combined, Joe Borden.......El Presidente, el perfecto! It's stunning that of the few perfect games in baseball history, two were tossed on the same calendar day. And not just the two perfectos, but also Joe "Maybe The First No-Hit Pitcher Ever?" Borden's inaugural no-no on 7/28/1875.
July 29: George Culver, Smokey Joe Wood
July 30: Jim Bibby
July 31: Amos Rusie, Gus Weyhing
August 1: Framber Valdez, Bill Monbouquette
August 2: Blake Snell
August 3: Astros combined
August 4: Pud Galvin..........Is Pud Galvin the most obscure great pitcher in baseball history? Second all-time in innings, fifth all-time in wins, 11th in shutouts and he got his nickname because he reduced batters to pudding. All this plus two no-hitters. AND he's the first steroid-abuser in baseball history, as he used some kind of weird monkey testosterone elixir. This also explains why Galvin was eventually murdered in New York City after having climbed to the top of the Empire State Building.
August 5: Phil Niekro
August 6: Jack Stivetts
August 7: Vic Willis
August 8: Michael Lorenzen, Bobby Burke
August 9: John Candelaria
August 11: Wilson Alvarez, Vern Bickford
August 12: Hisashi Iwakuma
August 13: Jim Palmer
August 14: Tyler Gilbert, Bob Gibson
August 15: Felix Hernandez*, Terry Mulholland
August 16: Bill Hawke
August 17: Kevin Gross, Jesse Tannehill
August 18: Lew Burdette
August 19: Ken Holtzman, Jim Maloney, Larry Corcoran..........The only six men in baseball history with three or more career no-hitters are Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Justin Verlander, Cy Young and Larry Corcoran. One of these things just doesn't belong here....
August 20: Bob Keegan, Pud Galvin
August 21: Mike Fiers, Ted Lyons, Walter Thornton
August 22: Ben Sanders
August 24: Ed Halicki
August 25: Lucas Giolito, Dean Chance, Virgil Trucks.............Trucks had the best 5-19 season in baseball history in 1952. Two of his five wins were no-hitters. If arbitration had existed in 1952, that would've been a very interesting hearing.
August 26: Bret Saberhagen, Jack Kralock, Bullet Joe Bush, Dick Burns............*snicker* Dick Burns. Joe Bush. That's right up there with Johnson and Head.
August 27: Monte Pearson, Ed Walsh
August 29: Charles Ferguson
August 30: Jake Arrieta, Tex Carleton, Dutch Leonard, Earl Hamilton
August 31: Vern Kennedy, Jimmy Lavender
September 1: Justin Verlander, Phillies combined, Clay Buchholz
September 2: Dave Stieb, Milt Pappas...........DAVE STIEB!!!! Poor Stieb lost three no-hitters with two outs in the ninth innings, two of which were in back-to-back games and the other was a perfect game. But on 9/2/1990 against the Indians, Stieb finally got it done. The only no-hitter for the Blue Jays franchise and a truly great moment in the history of humanity.
September 3: Bud Smith, Bill McCahan
September 4: Cubs combined, Jim Abbott, Sam Jones
September 5: Nap Rucker
September 6: Anibal Sanchez, Jeff Tesreau, Frank Smith
September 7: Howard Ehmke
September 8: Darryl Kile
September 9: Sandy Koufax*, Rex Barney, Dick Fowler, George Davis............Koufax's perfecto is quite a story. He threw a perfect game, and Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley threw a complete game one-hitter. That one hit didn't even factor in the Dodgers' one run, which was unearned. It was the only nine-inning game in major league history that featured just one hit. It is 100 percent likely that Bob Hendley threw back a few shots at the local bar after the game.
September 10: Joe Horlen, Ray Caldwell
September 11: Brewers combined, Eric Milton, Braves combined, Tony Mullane
September 13: Alec Mills, Dazzy Vance, Hugh Daily
September 14: Carlos Zambrano
September 15: Cannonball Titcomb.........Ha ha ha, what? Seriously, Cannonball Titcomb. This is a real person. He played five years in the majors between 1886 and 1890 with a career 30-29 record and 3.47 ERA. His greatest moment in the game, aside from his no-hitter and the day he got that nickname, was his 0.990 WHIP in 1888. His real name was Leland, and while Leland Titcomb is a pretty hilarious name in its own right, it goes into the stratosphere with the 'Cannonball' nickname.
September 16: Tom Browning*, Dave Morehead, Warren Spahn
September 17: Hideo Nomo, Gaylord Perry
September 18: Ray Washburn, Bob Rhoads, Chick Fraser, Cy Young
September 19: Joe Cowley, Ed Lafitte, Guy Hecker
September 20: Bob Moose, Hoyt Wilhelm, Frank Smith, Nick Maddox, Nixey Callahan, Larry Corcoran.......Move the fuck over, April 27! 9/20 ties you with six no-hitters thrown, thus making it the co-no-hittingest day of the year. That's right, TWO dashes! That's how hardcore September 20 is!
September 21: Vida Blue, Paul Dean
September 22: Bert Blyleven............Ah ha ha, Blyleven has a no-hitter too! Suck it, Jack Morris and by proxy Kyle!
September 25: Mike Scott, Sal Maglie
September 26: Bob Forsch, Nolan Ryan...........This was Forsch's second career no-no, and his brother Ken also threw a no-hitter as well. So the Forsches were the only brothers to ever both throw no-hitters in their careers. And, Bob had the added bonus of having the second no-no, so he knew his parents loved him twice as much.
September 27: Bill Dinneen
September 28: Jordan Zimmermann, Homer Bailey, Oakland combined, Nolan Ryan, Allie Reynolds, Ed Cushman.........Interestingly, of Ryan's record seven no-hitters, none of them came on a day that no other pitcher also tossed a no-no. I'm sure this keeps him up nights.
September 29: Henderson Alvarez, Mike Warren, John Montefusco
September 30: Mike Witt*
October 2: Bill Stoneman, Addie Joss*
October 3: Max Scherzer
October 4: Ted Breitenstein, Sam Kimber
October 6: Roy Halladay, Matt Kilroy
October 8: Don Larsen*.........This, of course, was the famous perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
October 15: Bumpus Jones...........Ol' Bumpus is the only pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter in his first major league game. He then retired, moved to Ohio, bought a bunch of smelly hounds and moved in next door to the family in A Christmas Story.
November 2: Astros combined*.....in the World Series
So, the only days of the baseball year that haven't seen a no-hitter are....
April 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 25, 26
May 13, 16, 20, 21, 22, 26, 28
June 7, 8, 14
July 5, 6, 7, 11, 16, 21
August 2, 10, 23, 28
September 12, 23, 24
October 1, 5, and then we get into the postseason
The September numbers are interesting, with 53 of the 257 no-hitters in history coming during this month. I'd attribute this to both a) new pitchers being called up, and thus hitters are less familiar with their stuff and b) half the teams are out of the pennant race and thus half-assing it like the makers of the new Wolverine movie.
June 25: Astros combined, Tim Lincecum, Edwin Jackson, Jose Jimenez
June 26: Earl Wilson
June 27: Jerry Reuss, Larry Corcoran
June 28: Domingo German*
June 29: Fernando Valenzuela, Dave Stewart............These took place on the exact same day in 1990, Stewart's against my poor Blue Jays.
June 30: Sandy Koufax, Bob Lemon, Cy Young
July 1: Bob Feller, Walter Johnson.........Canada Day wins the award for the day with the best no-hit pitchers. It's hard to top a combo of Rapid Robert and the Big Train. The June 30th combo of Koufax and Cy Young is also pretty tough, but on that day, Bob Lemon actually brings down the average. [falsetto] LEMON~~~~! SEE THROUGH IN THE SUNLIGHT. SHE. WORE. LEMON~~~~! [/falsetto]
July 2: Homer Bailey
July 3: Clyde Wright
July 4: Dave Righetti, George Mullin, Hooks Wiltse
July 8: Tigers combined, Red Donahue
July 9: Larry Dierker
July 10: Jonathan Sanchez, Don Black
July 12: Angels combined, Cordova/Rincon, Allie Reynolds, Noodles Hahn..........the Francisco Cordova/Ricardo Rincon no-hitter was a case where Cordova threw nine innings, Rincon threw the tenth, and then the Pirates won the game in the bottom of the 10th. It was the only combined extra-inning no-hitter in MLB history. Also, Noodles Hahn threw the first no-hitter of the 1900's. I have no idea why he was called 'Noodles.' Sorry.
July 13: Tim Lincecum, Orioles combined
July 14: Ramon Martinez, Mel Parnell
July 15: Nolan Ryan, Christy Mathewson, George Bradley........This combo gives Feller/Johnson a strong run for their money, considering that Bradley had a career 2.42 ERA between 1875 and 1884. Bradley's no-no was also technically the first in Major League history, since MLB flip-flops on whether or not the National Association is an officially recognized league, thus casting a pall over Joe Borden's 1875 no-hitter.
July 17: Jesse Haines
July 18: David Cone*
July 19: Dick Bosman
July 20: Bill Singer, Jim Bunning, Mal Eason
July 22: Weldon Henley
July 23: Mark Buehrle*
July 24: Adonis Terry
July 25: Dylan Cease, Cole Hamels, Charlie Radbourn
July 26: Matt Garza, Ed Seward
July 27: Ervin Santana, John Clarkson
July 28: Kenny Rogers*, Dennis Martinez*, White Sox combined, Joe Borden.......El Presidente, el perfecto! It's stunning that of the few perfect games in baseball history, two were tossed on the same calendar day. And not just the two perfectos, but also Joe "Maybe The First No-Hit Pitcher Ever?" Borden's inaugural no-no on 7/28/1875.
July 29: George Culver, Smokey Joe Wood
July 30: Jim Bibby
July 31: Amos Rusie, Gus Weyhing
August 1: Framber Valdez, Bill Monbouquette
August 2: Blake Snell
August 3: Astros combined
August 4: Pud Galvin..........Is Pud Galvin the most obscure great pitcher in baseball history? Second all-time in innings, fifth all-time in wins, 11th in shutouts and he got his nickname because he reduced batters to pudding. All this plus two no-hitters. AND he's the first steroid-abuser in baseball history, as he used some kind of weird monkey testosterone elixir. This also explains why Galvin was eventually murdered in New York City after having climbed to the top of the Empire State Building.
August 5: Phil Niekro
August 6: Jack Stivetts
August 7: Vic Willis
August 8: Michael Lorenzen, Bobby Burke
August 9: John Candelaria
August 11: Wilson Alvarez, Vern Bickford
August 12: Hisashi Iwakuma
August 13: Jim Palmer
August 14: Tyler Gilbert, Bob Gibson
August 15: Felix Hernandez*, Terry Mulholland
August 16: Bill Hawke
August 17: Kevin Gross, Jesse Tannehill
August 18: Lew Burdette
August 19: Ken Holtzman, Jim Maloney, Larry Corcoran..........The only six men in baseball history with three or more career no-hitters are Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Justin Verlander, Cy Young and Larry Corcoran. One of these things just doesn't belong here....
August 20: Bob Keegan, Pud Galvin
August 21: Mike Fiers, Ted Lyons, Walter Thornton
August 22: Ben Sanders
August 24: Ed Halicki
August 25: Lucas Giolito, Dean Chance, Virgil Trucks.............Trucks had the best 5-19 season in baseball history in 1952. Two of his five wins were no-hitters. If arbitration had existed in 1952, that would've been a very interesting hearing.
August 26: Bret Saberhagen, Jack Kralock, Bullet Joe Bush, Dick Burns............*snicker* Dick Burns. Joe Bush. That's right up there with Johnson and Head.
August 27: Monte Pearson, Ed Walsh
August 29: Charles Ferguson
August 30: Jake Arrieta, Tex Carleton, Dutch Leonard, Earl Hamilton
August 31: Vern Kennedy, Jimmy Lavender
September 1: Justin Verlander, Phillies combined, Clay Buchholz
September 2: Dave Stieb, Milt Pappas...........DAVE STIEB!!!! Poor Stieb lost three no-hitters with two outs in the ninth innings, two of which were in back-to-back games and the other was a perfect game. But on 9/2/1990 against the Indians, Stieb finally got it done. The only no-hitter for the Blue Jays franchise and a truly great moment in the history of humanity.
September 3: Bud Smith, Bill McCahan
September 4: Cubs combined, Jim Abbott, Sam Jones
September 5: Nap Rucker
September 6: Anibal Sanchez, Jeff Tesreau, Frank Smith
September 7: Howard Ehmke
September 8: Darryl Kile
September 9: Sandy Koufax*, Rex Barney, Dick Fowler, George Davis............Koufax's perfecto is quite a story. He threw a perfect game, and Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley threw a complete game one-hitter. That one hit didn't even factor in the Dodgers' one run, which was unearned. It was the only nine-inning game in major league history that featured just one hit. It is 100 percent likely that Bob Hendley threw back a few shots at the local bar after the game.
September 10: Joe Horlen, Ray Caldwell
September 11: Brewers combined, Eric Milton, Braves combined, Tony Mullane
September 13: Alec Mills, Dazzy Vance, Hugh Daily
September 14: Carlos Zambrano
September 15: Cannonball Titcomb.........Ha ha ha, what? Seriously, Cannonball Titcomb. This is a real person. He played five years in the majors between 1886 and 1890 with a career 30-29 record and 3.47 ERA. His greatest moment in the game, aside from his no-hitter and the day he got that nickname, was his 0.990 WHIP in 1888. His real name was Leland, and while Leland Titcomb is a pretty hilarious name in its own right, it goes into the stratosphere with the 'Cannonball' nickname.
September 16: Tom Browning*, Dave Morehead, Warren Spahn
September 17: Hideo Nomo, Gaylord Perry
September 18: Ray Washburn, Bob Rhoads, Chick Fraser, Cy Young
September 19: Joe Cowley, Ed Lafitte, Guy Hecker
September 20: Bob Moose, Hoyt Wilhelm, Frank Smith, Nick Maddox, Nixey Callahan, Larry Corcoran.......Move the fuck over, April 27! 9/20 ties you with six no-hitters thrown, thus making it the co-no-hittingest day of the year. That's right, TWO dashes! That's how hardcore September 20 is!
September 21: Vida Blue, Paul Dean
September 22: Bert Blyleven............Ah ha ha, Blyleven has a no-hitter too! Suck it, Jack Morris and by proxy Kyle!
September 25: Mike Scott, Sal Maglie
September 26: Bob Forsch, Nolan Ryan...........This was Forsch's second career no-no, and his brother Ken also threw a no-hitter as well. So the Forsches were the only brothers to ever both throw no-hitters in their careers. And, Bob had the added bonus of having the second no-no, so he knew his parents loved him twice as much.
September 27: Bill Dinneen
September 28: Jordan Zimmermann, Homer Bailey, Oakland combined, Nolan Ryan, Allie Reynolds, Ed Cushman.........Interestingly, of Ryan's record seven no-hitters, none of them came on a day that no other pitcher also tossed a no-no. I'm sure this keeps him up nights.
September 29: Henderson Alvarez, Mike Warren, John Montefusco
September 30: Mike Witt*
October 2: Bill Stoneman, Addie Joss*
October 3: Max Scherzer
October 4: Ted Breitenstein, Sam Kimber
October 6: Roy Halladay, Matt Kilroy
October 8: Don Larsen*.........This, of course, was the famous perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
October 15: Bumpus Jones...........Ol' Bumpus is the only pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter in his first major league game. He then retired, moved to Ohio, bought a bunch of smelly hounds and moved in next door to the family in A Christmas Story.
November 2: Astros combined*.....in the World Series
So, the only days of the baseball year that haven't seen a no-hitter are....
April 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 25, 26
May 13, 16, 20, 21, 22, 26, 28
June 7, 8, 14
July 5, 6, 7, 11, 16, 21
August 2, 10, 23, 28
September 12, 23, 24
October 1, 5, and then we get into the postseason
The September numbers are interesting, with 53 of the 257 no-hitters in history coming during this month. I'd attribute this to both a) new pitchers being called up, and thus hitters are less familiar with their stuff and b) half the teams are out of the pennant race and thus half-assing it like the makers of the new Wolverine movie.
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