Here are some quick notes on the no-no before we get to the first 17:
- Pitch count data only goes back to 1988, but Lincecum's 148 pitches were the second-highest total thrown in a no-no since then. Edwin Jackson threw 149 in no-hitting the Rays for the Diamondbacks in 2010.
- Lincecum struck out 13 Padres. Only eight no-hitters since 1916 featured more K's: Nolan Ryan (17 in 1973), Ryan (16 in 1991), Ryan (15 in 1974), Don Wilson (15 in 1967), Warren Spahn (15 in 1960), Matt Cain's perfect game (14 in 2012), Ryan (14 in 1990) and Sandy Koufax's perfect game (14 in 1965).
- The Padres have never pitched a no-hitter and are the only major league team left without one. They have had eight thrown against them: Dock Ellis (1970), Milt Pappas (1972), Phil Niekro (1973), Kent Mercker/Mark Wohlers/Alejandro Pena combined (1991), A.J. Burnett (2001), Bud Smith (2001), Jonathan Sanchez (2009), Tim Lincecum (2013). That's not including a Pedro Martinez gem from 1995 in which he was perfect for nine innings before allowing a Bip Roberts double to start the tenth.
- Lincecum's no-hitter was the eighth one with a final score of 9-0. The others were pitched by Wes Ferrell (1931), Phil Niekro (1973 vs. SD), John Montefusco (1976), Hideo Nomo (1996), Kevin Brown (1997), Justin Verlander (2011) and Jered Weaver (2012).
- The Giants were no-hit by Homer Bailey on July 2, then threw the major leagues' next no-no 11 days later. They are the 17th team to be no-hit then pitch the next one.
| Year | Team | No-Hit By | Pitched No-Hitter |
| 2013 | San Francisco Giants | Homer Bailey | Tim Lincecum |
| 2010 | Tampa Bay Rays | Edwin Jackson | Matt Garza |
| 1995-96 | Florida Marlins | Ramon Martinez | Al Leiter |
| 1990 | Oakland Athletics | Nolan Ryan | Dave Stewart |
| 1990 | Seattle Mariners | Mark Langston/Mike Witt | Randy Johnson |
| 1969 | Houston Astros | Jim Maloney | Don Wilson |
| 1968 | St. Louis Cardinals | Gaylord Perry | Ray Washburn |
| 1965-66 | Cleveland Indians | Dave Morehead | Sonny Siebert |
| 1964 | Philadelphia Phillies | Sandy Koufax | Jim Bunning |
| 1963-64 | Houston Colt .45s | Juan Marichal | Ken Johnson |
| 1947 | Philadelphia Athletics | Don Black | Bill McCahan |
| 1938-40 | Cleveland Indians | Monte Pearson | Bob Feller |
| 1912 | St. Louis Browns | George Mullin | Earl Hamilton |
| 1906 | Brooklyn Superbas | Johnny Lush | Mal Eason |
| 1897 | Cincinnati Reds | Cy Young | Ted Breitenstein |
| 1891 | New York Giants | Tom Lovett | Amos Rusie |
| 1883 | Cleveland Blues | Old Hoss Radbourn | Hugh Daily |
In two cases (Perry/Washburn in 1968 and Maloney/Wilson in 1969) the no-hitters happened on back-to-back days in the same series.
- Lincecum opposed Bailey on July 2 and took the loss. He joins Bill McCahan, Mal Eason and Hugh Daily as one of four pitchers who were the opposing starter for a no-hitter, then pitched the next one.
On the ten-run games that followed a no-hitter:
Dwight Gooden, May 14, 1996 New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners
It was a long road back for Doc Gooden, but he returned to the top of the baseball world for one night at Yankee Stadium in 1996. He walked six batters, but otherwise shut down a powerful M's lineup that included Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner.
I attended the less-eventful game the following night. Buhner homered and Martinez drove in four runs as the Mariners dug out of a 4-0 hole to win 10-5.
Scott Erickson, April 27, 1994 Minnesota Twins vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Erickson allowed the most hits in the majors in 1993 (266) and pitched to a 5.19 ERA (84 ERA+). Things didn't get much better to start the '94 campaign as he allowed 38 hits in 21.2 innings during his first four starts. Carrying a 7.48 ERA into his home start against the Brewers, the righty was one of the unlikeliest no-hit pitchers imaginable. Two of his four walks came in the ninth inning, but he finally retired Greg Vaughn on a flyout to secure an improbable no-hitter.
The next night, Milwaukee battered the Twins 12-2 thanks in part to five home runs (two from John Jaha and one each from Turner Ward, Vaughn and Matt Mieske.)
Darryl Kile, September 8, 1993 Houston Astros vs. New York Mets
Kile was nearly perfect in beating the Mets. He walked Jeff McKnight with one out in the fourth inning. An 0-2, two-out wild pitch sent McKnight to second and as the ball rolled to first baseman Jeff Bagwell, McKnight took off for third. Bagwell's throw sailed away and McKnight came all the way in to score an unearned run. That was the only baserunner Kile allowed all night and he ended his brilliant game with his ninth strikeout. The losing pitcher was Frank Tanana, who would only pitch four games in the big leagues after this one.
The Mets returned home after the no-no and began a weekend series with the Chicago Cubs. New York scored ten runs, but are the only team on this list that still lost. RBI singles by Jose Vizcaino and Ryne Sandberg broke a 10-10 tie in the ninth and Chicago took it 12-10.
Bob Forsch, September 26, 1983 St. Louis Cardinals vs. Montreal Expos
Forsch already had a no-hitter under his belt, but his second makes the list. He didn't walk a batter and his only hiccups came in the second inning. He plunked Gary Carter with two outs and second baseman Ken Oberkfell misplayed Chris Speier's grounder. With men at the corners, Forsch struck out Angel Salazar to end the threat and begin a streak of 22 consecutive outs to finish it.
The next day, Tim Raines tripled, homered and drove in three runs while Terry Francona added four hits, including a homer, as the Expos rolled to a 10-4 win.
Ken Holtzman, June 3, 1971 Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (video here)
Like Forsch, Holtzman had already thrown a no-hitter. He beat Gary Nolan 1-0 and scored game's only run. He led off the top of the third and reached on third baseman Tony Perez's fielding error. Don Kessinger bunted him to second base and Glenn Beckert singled him home. He walked four and struck out six in his second career no-no. His first one, on August 19, 1969 against the Braves, is notable in that he didn't register a single strikeout. The only other no-hitter without a strikeout was by Sad Sam Jones in 1923 (for the Yankees at Philadelphia A's).
The Reds hosted St. Louis one night later and whacked the Cards 12-0. Johnny Bench hit a two-run triple and Tony Perez and Buddy Bradford hit two-run homers in a six-run fourth inning.
Ray Washburn, September 18, 1968 St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants
This was quite a three-game series at Candlestick. In the opener, Gaylord Perry outdueled Bob Gibson 1-0 and pitched a no-hitter for the Giants. The Cardinals righty Washburn twirled a no-hitter of his own the next day, navigating a Giants lineup that included Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Bobby Bonds.
The third game of the series actually saw both teams get a hit. Bonds hit two homers and Jim Ray Hart knocked a grand slam to lead San Francisco to an 11-5 win.
Allie Reynolds, July 12, 1951 New York Yankees at Cleveland Indians
If there was going to be a no-hitter pitched in Cleveland on this day, you would think that Bob Feller would be the one to do it. After all, Feller had just tossed his third career no-hitter 11 days prior. He was up to the task, going 5.1 innings before allowing the first hit of the game on a Mickey Mantle double. Gene Woodling tagged Feller for a solo homer in the seventh and that would be all Reynolds would need. Superchief retired the last 17 batters he faced and struck out Bobby Avila for the final out.
The next game was a slugfest, with the Tribe taking down New York 11-8 on three-run homers from Jim Hegan and Al Rosen.
Reynolds would throw another no-hitter in 1951. On September 28, he held the Red Sox hitless for 8.2 innings, but he'd have to set down Ted Williams for the final out. He got Williams to hit a popup in foul territory, but Yogi Berra dropped it. Williams had new life, but what do you know, the next pitch was popped up in foul territory again! Berra made the most of his second chance and made the catch for the final out. Reynolds is one of five pitchers to throw two no-nos in one season. The others are Johnny Vander Meer (1938, back-to-back starts), Virgil Trucks (1952), Nolan Ryan (1973) and Roy Halladay (2010,the first was a perfect game and the second was in the postseason).
Ed Head, April 23, 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Boston Braves
I had never heard of Ed Head, but his is a remarkable story. He was left-handed as a young man, but a bus wreck at 15 killed his girlfriend and crushed his arm. As Robert Weintraub's "The Victory Season" describes:
Amputation was recommended. But Head pleaded with the surgeon to telephone Ed's uncle, Dr. L.E. Larche. Larche had the only fluoroscope in all of the area, and an examination showed the arm could be saved. After many hours of surgery, Head kept his left arm. Unfortunately, he could no longer pitch with it. So he learned to pitch right-handed and amazingly adapted will enough to get to the bigs.
So he makes it all the way to the majors, then serves in the Army for two years during World War II, then comes back to the Dodgers and pitches a no-hitter in his first start back. And oh yeah, his wife had a baby the day before as well! He injured his right arm that August and never pitched in the major leagues again. Head spent the next decade as a successful manager in the minors.
As for the no-hitter, Head walked three and struck out only one, but it was a big one. He walked pinch-hitter Chuck Workman to start the ninth. He then whiffed Connie Ryan and catcher Ferrell Anderson, who hit his first career homer in the sixth inning, picked Workman off at first base for a double play. Head retired Johnny Hopp on a 4-3 groundout to end the game.
The Braves moved uptown after the game and began a series against the Giants at the Polo Grounds the next day. Tommy Holmes and Ray Sanders clubbed home runs in a 10-7 Braves victory.
Walter Johnson, July 1, 1920 Washington Senators at Boston Red Sox
The Big Train's only career no-hitter was nearly a perfect game. He retired the first 18 Red Sox and took a perfecto into the seventh inning. Harry Hooper led off the frame with a grounder to second base that Bucky Harris booted for an error. Johnson recovered and set down the nine in a row to close out the no-hitter.
Washington led the next day's game 9-2 in the sixth inning, but Boston posted four runs in that inning before scoring one in the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth to win 10-9.
Fred Toney, May 2, 1917 Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
This was the famed "double no-hitter" that linked Fred Toney and Chicago's Hippo Vaughn forever. Incredibly, the two hurlers both pitched nine innings without allowing a hit. The Reds would break through in the top of the tenth, as SABR's bio on Vaughn tells it:
It all unraveled in the tenth. With one out, Larry Kopf singled to right. Neale flied to center for the second out. Then, in a moment of irony that occurs only in baseball, Hal Chase hit a hard liner that Cy Williams couldn't hold. Kopf moved to third on the play. Chase stole second. Jim Thorpe then hit a slow roller toward third that catcher Art Wilson and Vaughn both chased. Vaughn caught up with the ball and seeing that he couldn't get Thorpe at first, threw home to Wilson to catch Kopf trying to score from third. Wilson still had his back turned, and Vaughn's throw hit him on the shoulder. Kopf scored easily, and Chase, thinking the ball had bounced far enough away, tried to score, but Wilson recovered the ball and tagged him for the third out. That was the final score, 1-0, as Toney retired the Cubs in the bottom of the inning. Christy Mathewson, who was managing the Reds and knew a bit about pitching, called it the greatest pitching performance he'd ever seen. Vaughn, for understandable reasons, didn't like to talk about the game but graciously discussed it with Hal Totten for John P. Carmichael's My Greatest Day in Baseball (1945).
The Cubs had an easy 10-3 victory over the Reds the next day. Mike Prendergast had three hits and pitched a complete game.
These ten no-hitters were played after 1916, which is as far as the Baseball-Reference Play Index goes for box score data. The earliest seven games on the list do not have box scores.
Bill Dinneen, September 27, 1905 Boston Americans vs. Chicago White Sox
Dineen held the ChiSox without a hit in a 2-0 doubleheader-opening win. The White Sox roared back in the second game with a 15-1 rout of the Americans (now known as the Red Sox).
Cy Young, May 5, 1904 Boston Americans vs. Philadelphia Athletics
The winningest pitcher of all-time threw three no-hitters, but this middle one was a perfect game. The Americans won 3-0 and the next day, the A's beat the Washington Senators at home 16-6.
Noodles Hahn, July 12, 1900 Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Hahn shut down the Phils 4-0 in Cincinnati. The road trip continued in Pittsburgh and the Phillies ran up a 23-8 score on the Pirates.
Tom Lovett, June 22, 1891 Brooklyn Grooms vs. New York Giants
Lovett and the future Dodgers beat their crosstown rival 4-0. The Giants won the next day in Brooklyn 11-3.
John Clarkson, July 27, 1885 Chicago White Stockings at Providence Grays
The future Hall of Famer no-hit the Grays 4-0. Providence hosted the Buffalo Bisons the next day and won 11-4.
Larry Corcoran, June 27, 1884 Chicago White Stockings at Providence Grays
Exactly 13 months earlier, the same thing happened with the same teams involved, but this time it was in Chicago. Corcoran pitched his third no-hitter and the White Stockings won 6-0. Providence eased their way to a 13-4 win a day later.
Frank Mountain, June 5, 1884 Columbus Buckeyes at Washington Nationals
We go to the American Association for our final/earliest entry. The Buckeyes won 12-0 behind Frank Mountain's no-no. After an off day, the Nats beat the Toledo Blue Stockings at home 10-4.
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