How many MLB pitchers have thrown no-hitters?
The first one was thrown back on July 15th, 1876, during the first season of play in the National League. The most recent was on August 9th, 2023.
The story of the no-hitter in baseball dates back almost 150 years and still we are captivated by the prowess of any pitcher who manages to register one. Indeed, navigating a game in MLB today without conceding a hit is quite a feat, which is precisely why we’re taking a look at the history of it all.
What is a no-hitter in baseball?
Though we imagine you understand that it’s exactly what it sounds like, let’s be clear. A ‘no-hitter’ in baseball refers to a game in which a team does not record a single hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as “a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine complete innings recorded no hits.” To that end, a pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is thereby said to have “thrown a no-hitter.” To be clear, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game; in the case of one thrown by two or more pitchers, it is called a combined no-hitter.
How many no-hitters have been thrown in MLB history?
Understandably, a no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff. Across the arc of MLB history, there have been 322 no-hitters thrown. The first of those officially recognized by MLB was pitched by George Bradley on July 15th, 1876, during the first season of play in the National League. The most recent was thrown by Michael Lorenzen of the Philadelphia Phillies against the Washington Nationals on August 9th, 2023, while the most recent combined no-hitter was thrown on July 8th, 2023, by starter Matt Manning and relief pitchers Jason Foley, and Alex Lange of the Detroit Tigers against the Toronto Blue Jays.
MLB no-hit records
Nolan Ryan holds the record for the most career no-hits with seven, achieved over the course of 18 years and with three different teams, the California Angels, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. Nolan also holds the MBL strike-out record with 5,417. Behind Ryan is Dodgers great Sandy Koufax with four and he is followed by Larry Corcoran, Bob Feller, Justin Verlander and Cy Young on three.
Five pitchers have thrown two no-hitters in the same season: Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, Virgil Trucks, Ryan and Max Scherzer. Vander Meer also holds a record that will probably never be broken, throwing two consecutive no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938. There is also Reid Detmers who came close to throwing his second no-hitter this past August after throwing one last year, but couldn’t quite complete the feat. A special nod should be given to Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tyler Gilbert, who threw a no-no on his very first MLB start against the Padres, a feat that had been achieved on only three occasions previously in MLB history, by Ted Breitenstein (1891), Bumpus Jones (1892) and Bobo Hollman (1953).