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Unlikely No-Hit Pitchers

Posted by Raphy on April 14, 2011

One of the fun new things we can do with the PI is to sort the results of a game-finder search by a season finder.

Here are all the pitchers since 1919 to throw a  no-hitter of at least nine innings, sorted by career H/9IP. Charlie Robinson appears to be the clear-cut winner of surprise No-Hitter throwers.

If you sort by games started, it is interesting to note that 18 retired pitchers (and 3 active ones) who threw no-hitters , started less than 100 games. Bobo Holloman started only 10.

Rk Player H/9 From To Age G GS CG SHO GF W L W-L% SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA ERA+ HR BF IBB HBP BK WP Tm
1 Charlie Robertson 10.29 1919 1928 23-32 166 141 60 6 17 49 80 .380 1 1005.0 1149 570 496 377 310 4.44 90 38 4453 43 17 2 16 CHW-SLB-BSN
2 Terry Mulholland 9.90 1986 2006 23-43 685 332 46 10 128 124 142 .466 5 2575.2 2833 1396 1262 681 1325 4.41 94 293 11060 65 70 3 64 PHI-NYY-SFG-TOT-CHC-ATL-CLE-MIN-ARI
3 Bud Smith 9.90 2001 2002 21-22 27 24 1 1 2 7 8 .467 0 132.2 146 79 73 46 81 4.95 85 16 580 7 4 1 0 STL
4 Jose Jimenez 9.87 1998 2004 24-30 329 38 2 2 231 24 44 .353 110 521.1 572 309 285 186 319 4.92 100 46 2307 23 27 1 22 STL-COL-CLE
5 Scott Erickson 9.86 1990 2006 22-38 389 364 51 17 10 142 136 .511 0 2360.2 2586 1306 1203 865 1252 4.59 98 228 10284 32 103 3 68 MIN-BAL-TOT-LAD-NYY
6 Wes Ferrell 9.76 1927 1941 19-33 374 323 227
 17 43 193 128 .601 13 2623.0 2845 1382 1177 1040 985 4.04 117 132 11568 23 6 35 CLE-BOS-TOT-NYY-BRO-BSN
7 Ted Lyons 9.71 1923 1946 22-45 594 484
 356 27 92 260 230 .531 23 4161.0 4489 2056 1696 1121 1073 3.67 118 223 17797 25 31 6 55 CHW
8 Jesse Haines 9.70 1918 1937 24-43 555 386 208 24 95 210 158 .571 10 3208.2 3460 1556 1298 871 981 3.64 109 165 13644 57 6 55 CIN-STL
9 Vern Kennedy 9.65 1934 1945 27-38 344 263 126 7 56 104 132 .441 5 2025.2 2173 1202 1052 1049 691 4.67 95 130 9055 24 4 54 CHW-DET-SLB-CLE-TOT
10 Jim Abbott 9.56 1989 1999 21-31 263 254 31 6 5 87 108 .446 0 1674.0 1779 880 791 620 888 4.25 100 154 7211 30 32 11 53 CAL-NYY-TOT-CHW-MIL
11 David Wells 9.51 1987 2007 24-44 660 489 54 12 65 239 157 .604 13 3439.0 3635 1702 1578 719 2201 4.13 108 407 14413 65 83 17 101 TOR-DET-BAL-CHW-NYY-SDP-BOS-TOT
12 Bobo Holloman 9.51 1953 1953 30-30 22 10 1 1 1 3 7 .300 0 65.1 69 41 38 50 25 5.23 81 2 305 1 1 2 SLB
13 Bill Dietrich 9.51 1933 1948 23-38 366 253 92 17 72 108 128 .458 11 2003.2 2117 1146 997 890 660 4.48 92 128 8874 22 4 44 PHA-TOT-CHW
14 Edwin Jackson 9.47 2003 2011 19-27 174 145 3 2 8 50 51 .495 0 898.0 945 493 457 384 677 4.58 97 104 3931 13 20 4 48 LAD-TBD-TBR-DET-TOT-CHW
15 Eric Milton 9.47 1998 2009 22-33 271 270 10 4 0 89 85 .511 0 1582.1 1665 935 878 453 1127 4.99 94 267 6826 14 35 0 29 MIN-PHI-CIN-LAD
16 Sad Sam Jones 9.47 1914 1935 21-42 647 487 250 36 116 229 217 .513 31 3883.0 4084 2008 1656 1396 1223 3.84 104 152 16662 77 69 5 73 CLE-BOS-NYY-SLB-WSH-CHW
17 Mark Buehrle 9.46 2000 2011 21-32 362 337 27 8 6 149 110 .575 0 2290.1 2407 1087 980 523 1290 3.85 120 253 9535 37 53 15 20 CHW
18 Dick Fowler 9.44 1941 1952 20-31
 221 170 75 11 36 66 79 .455 4 1303.0 1367 685 595 578 382 4.11 97 96 5680 19 1 12 PHA
19 Paul Dean 9.43 1934 1943 21-30 159 87 44 8 37 50 34 .595 8 787.1 825 364 328 179 387 3.75 109 53 3345 17 4 4 STL-NYG-SLB
20 Kenny Rogers 9.42 1989 2008 24-43 762 474 36 9 133 219 156 .584 28 3302.2 3457 1739 1568
 1175 1968 4.27 108 339 14280 53 127 23 79 TEX-NYY-OAK-TOT-MIN-DET
21 Jesse Barnes 9.41 1915 1927 22-34 422 312 179 26 76 152 150 .503 13 2569.2 2686 1150 918 515 653 3.22 105 88 10676 25 0 22 NYG-TOT-BSN-BRO
22 Dallas Braden 9.38 2007 2011 23-27 93 78 5 2 8 25 36 .410 0 486.1 507 247 227 139 300 4.20 101 45 2056 5 11 3 9 OAK
23 Lew Burdette 9.35 1950 1967 23-40 626 373 158 33 128 203 144 .585 31 3067.1 3186 1400 1246 628 1074 3.66 99 289 12745 63 56 7 23 NYY-BSN-MLN-TOT-CAL
24 Bob Keegan 9.33 1953 1958 32-37 135 87 29 6 18 40 36 .526 5 644.2 668 300 262 233 198 3.66 106 70 2768 9 8 1 3 CHW
25 Juan Nieves 9.30 1986 1988 21-23 94 81 8 5 4 32 25 .561 1 490.2 507 289 257 227 352 4.71 93 54 2159 9 4 4 8 MIL
Rk Player H/9 From To Age G GS CG SHO GF W L W-L% SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA ERA+ HR BF IBB HBP BK WP Tm
26 Rick Wise 9.29 1964 1982 18-36 506 455 138 30 15 188 181 .509 0 3127.1 3227 1455 1281 804 1647 3.69 101 261 13157 83 44 9 49 PHI-STL-BOS-CLE-SDP
27 Lefty Chambers 9.27 1948 1953 26-31 189 113 37 7 32 48 53 .475 1 897.1 924 482 428 361 374 4.29 96 70 3919 21 3 13 CHC-PIT-TOT-STL
28 Clyde Shoun 9.27 1935 1949 23-37 454 85 34 3 212 73 59 .553 29 1287.0 1325 631 559 404 483 3.91 96 81 5466 10 2 15 CHC-STL-TOT-CIN-BSN
29 Bill McCahan 9.20 1946 1949 25-28 57
 40 17 2 9
 16 14 .533 0 290.2 297 142 124 145 76 3.84 104 15 1288 0 0 8 PHA
30 Chris Bosio 9.17 1986 1996 23-33 309 246 39 9 32 94 93 .503 9 1710.0 1742 835 753 481 1059 3.96 107 162 7225 22 41 9 61 MIL-SEA
31 Howard Ehmke 9.17 1915 1930 21-36 427 338 199 20 68 166 166 .500 14 2820.2 2873 1424 1174 1042 1030 3.75 105 103 12081 125 137 8 28 BUF-DET-BOS-TOT-PHA
32 Jerry Reuss 9.16 1969 1990 20-41 628 547 127 39 41 220 191 .535 11 3669.2 3734 1700
 1483
 1127 1907 3.64 100 245 15582 118 59 23 107 STL-HOU-PIT-LAD-CHW-TOT
33 Bill Monbouquette 9.15 1958 1968 21-31 343 263 78 18 27 114 112 .504 3 1961.1 1995 910 803 462 1122 3.68 104 211 8207 44 20 5 20 BOS-DET-TOT
34 Jack Kralick 9.15 1959 1967 24-32 235
 169 45 12 17 67 65 .508 1 1218.0 1238 541 482 318 668 3.56 109 125 5121 28 23 1 13 WSH-MIN-TOT-CLE
35 Kevin Millwood 9.14 1997 2010 22-35 414 406 21 5 3 159 137 .537 0 2505.0 2544 1245 1143 779 1940 4.11 107 274 10705 43 71 4 60 ATL-PHI-CLE-TEX-BAL
36 Jim Tobin 9.14 1937 1945 24-32 287 227 156 12 47 105 112 .484 5 1900.0 1929 861 726 557 498 3.44 106 107 8074 29 3 28 PIT-BSN-TOT
37 Tex Carleton 9.13 1932 1940 25-33 293 202 91 16 64 100 76 .568 9 1607.1 1630 770
 698 561 808 3.91 100 105 6922 38 3 38 STL-CHC-BRO
38 Jim Colborn 9.12 1969 1978 23-32 301 204 60 8 32 83 88 .485 7 1597.1 1619 750 675 475 688 3.80 98 153 6744 41 41 9 36 CHC-MIL-KCR-TOT
39 Kevin Gross 9.11 1983 1997 22-36 474 368 42 14 38 142 158 .473 5 2487.2 2519 1245 1137 986 1727 4.11 95 230 10791 76 79 35 53 PHI-MON-LAD-TEX-ANA
40 Mike Warren 9.10 1983 1985 22-24 52 27 3 1 8 9 13 .409 0 204.2 207 127 115 100 139 5.06 75 28 916 2 8 1 8 OAK
41 Derek Lowe 9.07 1997 2011 24-38 603 325 9 3 156 158 131 .547 85 2347.1 2366 1125 999 675 1537 3.83 116 191 9903 58 70 10 47 TOT-BOS-LAD-ATL
42 Don Black 9.07 1943 1948 26-31 154 113 37 4 21 34 55 .382 1 797.0 803 425 385 400 293 4.35 80 46 3519 13 0 13 PHA-CLE
43 Bobby Burke 9.07 1927 1937 20-30 254 88 27 4 94 38 46 .452 5 918.2 926 506 438 360 299 4.29 100 35 3983 24 3 16 WSH-PHI
44 Tom Browning 9.05 1984 1995 24-35 302 300 31 12 1 123 90 .577 0 1921.0 1931 913 841 511 1000 3.94 98 236 8066 61 32 13 25 CIN-KCR
45 George Culver 9.05 1966 1974 22-30 335 57 7 2 127 48 49 .495 23 788.2 793 354 317 352 451 3.62 96 42 3451 54 43 1 43 CLE-CIN-TOT-HOU-PHI
46 Bob Moose 9.03 1967 1976 19-28 289 160 35 13 59 76 71 .517 19 1303.2 1308 566 507 387 827 3.50 99 75 5501 59 30 6 25 PIT
47 Dick Bosman 9.02 1966 1976 22-32 306 229 29 10 26 82 85 .491 2 1591.0 1594 736 648 412 757 3.67 93 149 6643 48 34 2 28 WSA-TEX-CLE-TOT-OAK
48 Ray Washburn 8.99 1961 1970 23-32 239 166 25 10 31 72 64 .529
 5 1210.0 1208 545 475 354 700 3.53 102 107 5080 48 18 4 20 STL-CIN
49 Bob Forsch 8.94 1974 1989 24-39 498 422 67 19 19 168 136 .553 3 2794.2 2777 1319 1169 832 1133 3.76 98 216 11715 84 45 18 93 STL-TOT-HOU
50 Anibal Sanchez 8.92 2006 2011 22-27 84 83 3 2 0 31 30 .508 0 487.1 483 227 206 211 373 3.80 112 40 2137 14 20 2 15 FLA
Rk Player H/9 From To Age G GS CG SHO GF W L W-L% SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA ERA+ HR BF IBB HBP BK WP Tm
51 Kent Mercker 8.88 1989 2008 21-40 692 150 2 1 157 74 67 .525 25 1325.1 1307 676 612 607 917 4.16 105 154 5792 47 32 15 55 ATL-STL-ANA-COL-TOT-CHC-CIN
52 Darryl Kile 8.87 1991 2002 22-33 359 331 28 9 8 133 119 .528 0 2165.1 2135 1099 992 918 1668 4.12 104 214 9429 41 117 19 97 HOU-COL-STL
53 Mike Witt 8.82 1981 1993 20-32 341 299 72 11 22 117 116 .502 6 2108.1 2066 1012 898 713 1373 3.83 105 183 8927 40 55 5 73 CAL-TOT-NYY
54 Lon Warneke 8.82 1930 1945 21-36 445 343 192 30 65 192 121 .613 13 2782.1 2726 1164 984 739 1140 3.18 119 175 11608 27 1 50 CHC-STL-TOT
55 Mel Parnell 8.81 1947 1956 25-34 289 232 113 20 36 123 75 .621 10 1752.2 1715 797 682 758 732 3.50 125 104 7548 3 28 3 41 BOS
56 Dennis Martinez 8.77 1976 1998 21-43 692 562 122 30 51 245 193 .559 8 3999.2 3897 1835 1643 1165 2149 3.70 106 372 16754 71 122 30 83
 BAL-TOT-MON-CLE-SEA-ATL
57 Matt Garza 8.76 2006 2011 22-27 123 120 6 3 2 42 45 .483 1 738.0 718 355 328 259 592 4.00 106 86 3147 9 28 4 23 MIN-TBR-CHC
58 Len Barker 8.76 1976 1987
 20-31 248 194 35 7 26 74 76 .493 5 1323.2 1289 695 639 513 975 4.34 94 96 5674 20 21 2 65 TEX-CLE-TOT-ATL-MIL
59 Ken Forsch 8.76 1970 1986 23-39 521 241 70 18 177 114 113 .502 51 2127.1 2071 881 796 586 1047 3.37 106 155 8852 68 47 7 43 HOU-CAL
60 Monte Pearson 8.76 1932 1941 23-32 224 191 94 5 24 100 61 .621 4 1429.2 1392 721 635 740 703 4.00 112 82 6259 6 1 43 CLE-NYY-CIN
61 Ken Holtzman 8.75 1965 1979 19-33 451 410 127 31 18 174 150 .537 3 2867.1 2787 1273 1111 910 1601 3.49 105 249 12069 70 49 2 98 CHC-OAK-TOT-NYY
62 John Montefusco 8.74 1974 1986 24-36 298 244 32 11 17 90 83 .520 5 1652.1 1604 728 650 513 1081 3.54 103 135 6983 57 29 10 29 SFG-ATL-SDP-TOT-NYY
63 Dock Ellis 8.74 1968 1979 23-34 345 317 71 14 10 138 119 .537 1 2128.0 2067 958 817 674 1136 3.46 104 140 8978 66 44 9 45 PIT-NYY-TOT-TEX
64 Clyde Wright 8.74 1966 1975 25-34 329 235 67 9 34 100 111 .474
 3 1728.2 1679 764 672 550 667 3.50 96 143 7252 44 23 1 45 CAL-MIL-TEX
65 Don Nottebart 8.74 1960 1969 24-33 296 89
 16 2 93 36 51 .414 21 928.1 902 443 377 283 525 3.65 97 69 3916 29 18 1 21 MLN-HOU-CIN-TOT
66 Roy Halladay 8.71 1998 2011 21-34 349 323 59 19 6 171 86 .665 1 2319.1 2245 947 851 488 1736 3.30 137 196 9512 23 63 8 48 TOR-PHI
67 Vern Bickford 8.70 1948 1954 27-33 182 149 73 9 23 66 57 .537 2 1076.1 1040 500 444 467 450 3.71 102 76 4641 25 3 14 BSN-MLN-BAL
68 Carl Hubbell 8.68 1928 1943 25-40 535 433 260 36 82 253 154 .622 33 3590.1 3461 1380 1188 725 1677 2.98 130 227 14805 53
 1 53 NYG
69 Ken Johnson 8.65 1958 1970 25-37 334 231 50 7 50 91 106 .462 9 1737.1 1670 778 668 413 1042 3.46 102 157 7211 56 56 7 26 KCA-HOU-ATL-TOT-MON
70 Jim Wilson 8.65 1945 1958 23-36 257 217 75 19 22 86 89 .491 2 1539.0 1479 743 686 608 692 4.01 94 151 6573 27 29 2 22 BOS-SLB-PHA-BSN-MLN-BAL-TOT-CHW
71 Bret Saberhagen 8.61 1984 2001 20-37 399 371 76 16 13 167 117 .588 1 2562.2 2452 1036 952 471 1715 3.34 126 218 10421 34 59 12 53 KCR-NYM-TOT-BOS
72 Bill Stoneman 8.60 1967 1974 23-30 245 170 46 15 27 54
 85 .388 5 1236.1 1182 617 561 602 934 4.08 90 120 5395 46 43 3 36 CHC-MON-CAL
73 Milt Pappas 8.60 1957 1973 18-34 520 465 129 43 33 209 164 .560 4 3186.0 3046 1331 1203 858 1728 3.40 110 298 13198 89 72 6 97 BAL-CIN-ATL-TOT-CHC
74 Carl Erskine 8.57 1948 1959 21-32 335 216 71 14 61 122 78 .610 13 1718.2 1637 830 763 646 981 4.00 102 199 7270 13 16 1 38 BRO-LAD
75 Dave Stewart 8.55 1978 1995 21-38 523 348 55 9 87 168 129 .566 19 2629.2 2499 1259 1154 1034 1741 3.95 100 264 11251 46 62 23 119 LAD-TEX-TOT-OAK-TOR
Rk Player H/9 From To Age G GS CG SHO GF W L W-L% SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA ERA+ HR BF IBB HBP BK WP Tm
76 John Candelaria 8.55 1975 1993 21-39 600 356 54 13 82 177 122 .592 29 2525.2 2399 1038 935 592 1673 3.33 114 245 10366 63 37 26 28 PIT-CAL-NYY-TOT-LAD
77 Ed Halicki 8.53 1974 1980 23-29 192 157 36 13 13 55 66 .455 1 1063.0 1007 509 428 334 707 3.62 102 82 4517 45 24 11 15 SFG-TOT
78 Don Cardwell 8.52
 1957 1970 21-34 410 301 72 17 44 102 138 .425 7 2123.0 2009 1044 924 671 1211 3.92 95 225 8949 80 98 8 69 PHI-CHC-PIT-NYM-TOT
79 Dazzy Vance 8.52 1915 1935 24-44 442 349 216 29 53 197 140 .585 11 2966.2 2809 1246 1068 840 2045 3.24 125 132 12366 0 77 2 37 TOT-NYY-BRO-STL
80 Kevin Brown 8.51 1986 2005 21-40 486 476 72 17 1 211 144 .594 0 3256.1 3079 1357 1185 901 2397 3.28 127 208 13542 42 139 15 108 TEX-BAL-FLA-SDP-LAD-NYY
81 Steve Busby 8.51 1972 1980 22-30 167 150 53 7 8 70 54 .565 0 1060.2 1003 483 438 433 659 3.72 105 73 4505 22
 25 3 28 KCR
82 Clay Buchholz 8.49 2007 2011 22-26 66 64 3 2 0
 29 23 .558 0 374.1 353 177 157 159 287 3.77 120 38 1600 3 10 2 10 BOS
83 Tommy Greene 8.47 1989 1997 22-30 119 97 11 5 7 38 25 .603 0 628.0 591 310 289 241 461 4.14 93 62 2690 11 10 2 32 ATL-TOT-PHI-HOU
84 Burt Hooton 8.47 1971 1985 21-35 480 377 86 29 35 151 136 .526 7 2652.0 2497 1112 996 799 1491 3.38 108 193 11025 58 20 4 62 CHC-TOT-LAD-TEX
85 Dennis Eckersley 8.43 1975 1998 20-43 1071 361 100 20 577 197 171 .535 390 3285.2 3076 1382 1278 738 2401 3.50 116 347 13534 91 75 16 28 CLE-BOS-TOT-CHC-OAK-STL
86 Charlie Lea 8.42 1980 1988 23-31 152 144 22 8 3 62 48 .564 0 923.1 864 407 363 341 535 3.54 103 79 3876 19 12 8 36 MON-MIN
87 Hod Eller 8.41 1917 1921 22-26 160 89 52 9 58 60 40 .600 5 863.0 806 313 251 213 381 2.62 108 19 3523 18
 1 5 CIN
88 Jack Morris 8.40 1977 1994 22-39 549 527 175 28 10 254 186 .577 0 3824.0 3567 1815 1657 1390 2478 3.90 105 389 16120 99 58 27 206 DET-MIN-TOR-CLE
89 Phil Niekro 8.40 1964 1987 25-48 864 716 245 45 83 318 274 .537 29 5404.0 5044 2337 2012 1809 3342 3.35 115 482 22677 86 123 42 226 MLN-ATL-NYY-CLE-TOT
90 Ed Head 8.40 1940 1946 22-28 118 53 22 6 34 27 23 .540 11 465.0 434 201 180
 174 208 3.48 99 24 1983 3 0 5 BRO
91 Bert Blyleven 8.39 1970 1992 19-41 692 685 242 60 3 287 250 .534 0 4970.0 4632 2029 1830 1322 3701 3.31 118 430 20491 71 155 19 114 MIN-TEX-PIT-CLE-TOT-CAL
92 Ray Caldwell 8.39 1910 1921 22-33 343 259 184 21 65 134 120 .528 8 2242.0 2089 972 802 738 1006 3.22 100 59 9091 37 63 2 29 NYY-TOT-CLE
93 Wilson Alvarez 8.36 1989 2005 19-35 355 263 12 5 18 102 92 .526 4 1747.2 1624 857 769 805 1330 3.96 112 190 7518 29 50 4 28 TEX-CHW-TOT-TBD-LAD
94 Fernando Valenzuela 8.35 1980 1997 19-36 453 424 113 31 10 173 153 .531 2 2930.0 2718 1303 1154 1151 2074 3.54 104 226 12398 65 25 11 119 LAD-CAL-BAL-PHI-SDP-TOT
95 Gaylord Perry 8.31 1962 1983 23-44 777 690 303 53 33 314 265 .542 11 5350.0 4938 2128 1846 1379 3534 3.11 117 399 21953 164 108 6 160 SFG-CLE-TOT-TEX-SDP-ATL-SEA
96 Sal Maglie 8.31 1945 1958 28-41
 303 232
 93 25 35 119 62 .657 14 1723.0 1591 684 603 562 862 3.15 127 169 7182 8 44 7 18 NYG-TOT
97 Jon Lester 8.29 2006 2011 22-27 127 126 6 2 0 61 26 .701 0 785.1 723 323 310 293 729 3.55 129 68 3298 2 31 1 21 BOS
98 Warren Spahn 8.29 1942 1965 21-44 750 665 382 63 67 363 245 .597 29 5243.2 4830 2016 1798 1434 2583 3.09 119 434 21547 60 42 5 81 BSN-MLN-TOT
99 Justin Verlander 8.28 2005 2011 22-28 168 168 11 3 0 84 53 .613 0 1087.1 1000 490 458 360 986 3.79 118 96 4570 17 52 12 49 DET
100 Dave Righetti 8.25 1979 1995 20-36 718 89 13 2 474 82 79 .509 252 1403.2 1287 602 540 591 1112 3.46 114 95 5988 48 21 19 40 NYY-SFG-TOT-CHW
Rk Player H/9 From To Age G GS CG SHO GF W L W-L% SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA ERA+ HR BF IBB HBP BK WP Tm
101 Dwight Gooden 8.24 1984 2000 19-35 430 410 68 24 4 194 112 .634 3 2800.2 2564 1198 1091 954 2293 3.51 111 210 11705 42 78 33 76 NYM-NYY-CLE-TOT
102 Joe Horlen 8.22 1961 1972 23-34 361 290 59 18 31 116 117 .498 4 2002.0 1829 783 691 554 1065 3.11 110 145 8234 65 53 1 68 CHW-OAK
103 Jim Bunning 8.22 1955 1971 23-39 591 519 151 40 39 224 184 .549 16 3760.1 3433 1527 1366 1000 2855 3.27 114 372 15618 98 160 8 47 DET-PHI-PIT-TOT
104 Larry Dierker 8.21 1964 1977 17-30 356 329 106 25 10 139 123 .531 1 2333.2 2130 948 857 711 1493 3.31 103 184 9661 43 50 10 104 HOU-STL
105 Jim Bibby 8.18 1972
 1984 27-39 340 239 56 19 39 111 101 .524 8 1722.2 1565 800 719 723 1079 3.76 99 131 7310 38 40 13 70 STL-TEX-TOT-CLE-PIT
106 Earl Wilson 8.17 1959 1970 24-35 338 310 69 13 15 121 109 .526 0 2051.2 1863 934 842 796 1452 3.69 99 236 8677 35 30 5 79 BOS-DET-TOT
107 Bo Belinsky 8.16 1962 1970 25-33 146 102 14 4 14 28 51 .354 2 665.1 603 352 303 333 476 4.10 86 61 2919 18 42 4 52 LAA-PHI-HOU-PIT-CIN
108 A.J. Burnett 8.12 1999 2011 22-34 284 280 21 9 1
 113 100 .531 0 1787.1 1613 871 794 748 1634 4.00 107 175 7616 25 89 5 104 FLA-TOR-NYY
109 Virgil Trucks 8.11 1941 1958 24-41 517 328 124 33 113 177 135 .567 30 2682.1 2416 1124 1009 1088 1534 3.39 117 188 11378 19 47 6 63 DET-CHW-KCA-TOT
110 Al Leiter 8.10 1987 2005 21-39 419 382 16 10 9 162 132 .551 2 2391.0 2152 1101 1010 1163 1974 3.80 113 198 10334 53 117
 20 63 NYY-TOT-TOR-FLA-NYM
111 Juan Marichal 8.09 1960 1975 22-37 471 457 244 52 11 243 142 .631 2 3507.0 3153 1329 1126 709 2303 2.89 123 320 14236 82 40 20 51 SFG-BOS-LAD
112 Mike Scott 8.08 1979 1991 24-36 347 319 45 22 13
 124 108 .534 3 2068.2 1858 908 813 627 1469 3.54 100 173 8571 53 33 19 39 NYM-HOU
113 Bill Singer 8.08 1964 1977 20-33 322 308 94 24 7 118 127 .482 2 2174.0 1952 944 819 781 1515 3.39 99 132 9143 50 63 11 67 LAD-CAL-TOT-TOR
114 Bob Lemon 8.08 1946 1958 25-37 460 350 188 31 73 207 128 .618 22 2850.0 2559 1185 1024 1251 1277 3.23 119 180 12099 13 57 2 63 CLE
115 Hideo Nomo 8.05 1995 2008 26-39 323 318 16 9 2 123 109 .530 0 1976.1 1768 993 932 908 1918 4.24 98 251 8462 31 38 17 109 TOT-MIL-DET-BOS-LAD-TBD-KCR
116 Ramon Martinez 8.03 1988 2001 20-33 301 297 37 20 1 135 88 .605 0 1895.2 1691 880 772 795 1427 3.67 106 170 8075 41 66 7 33 LAD-BOS-PIT
117 Sonny Siebert 8.03 1964 1975 27-38 399 307 67 21 42 140 114 .551 16 2152.0 1919 907 767 692 1512 3.21 111 197 8951 55 54 8 60 CLE-BOS-STL-TOT
118 Dave Morehead 8.02 1963 1970 20-27 177 134 19 6 15 40 64 .385 1 819.1 730 430 378 463 627 4.15 90 78 3608 9 12 1 41 BOS-KCR
119 Dave Stieb 7.99 1979 1998 21-40 443 412 103 30 14 176 137 .562 3 2895.1 2572 1225 1106 1034 1669 3.44 123 225 12072 36 129 14 51 TOR-CHW
120 Joe Cowley 7.94 1982 1987 23-28 95 76 8 1 8 33 25 .569 0 469.1 414 243 219 232 332 4.20 97 69 2026 7 14 2 11 ATL-NYY-CHW-PHI
121 Allie Reynolds 7.92 1942 1954 25-37 434 309 137 36 97 182 107 .630 49 2492.1 2193 1026 915 1261 1423 3.30 110 133 10660 57 6 59 CLE-NYY
122 Vida Blue 7.91 1969 1986 19-36 502 473 143 37 11 209 161 .565 2 3343.1 2939 1357 1213 1185 2175 3.27 108 263 13837 61 23 13 103 OAK-KCR-SFG
123 Jonathan Sanchez 7.87
 2006 2011 23-28 158 102 1 1 14 35 40 .467 0 623.1 545 314 293 317 658 4.23 101 65 2714 11 31 1 40 SFG
124 Ewell Blackwell 7.83 1942 1955 19-32 236 169 69 15 49 82 78 .513 11 1321.0 1150 562 484 562 839 3.30 121 67 5576 0 44 2 28 CIN-TOT-NYY-KCA
125 Dean Chance 7.81 1961 1971 20-30 406 294 83 33 61 128 115 .527 23 2147.1 1864 832 697 739 1534 2.92 119 122 8906 75 65 9 70 LAA-CAL-MIN-TOT-DET
Rk Player H/9 From To Age G GS CG SHO GF W L W-L% SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA ERA+ HR BF IBB HBP BK WP Tm
126 David Cone 7.77 1986 2003 23-40 450 419 56 22 9 194 126 .606 1 2898.2 2504 1222 1115 1137 2668 3.46 121 258 12184 42 106 32 149 NYM-KCR-TOT-NYY-BOS
127
 Tom Phoebus 7.76 1966 1972 24-30 201 149 29 11 14 56 52 .519 6 1030.0 888 427 381 489 725 3.33 101 85 4375 23 19 6 48 BAL-SDP-TOT
128 Catfish Hunter 7.72 1965 1979 19-33 500 476 181 42 6 224 166 .574 1 3449.1 2958 1380 1248 954 2012 3.26 105 374 14032 57 49 7 49 KCA-OAK-NYY
129 Carlos Zambrano 7.69 2001 2011 20-30 298 261 9 4 6 118 74 .615 0 1698.2 1451 736 665 776 1454 3.52 126 136 7242 36 87 5 56 CHC
130 Bob Feller 7.69 1936 1956 17-37 570 484 279 44 52 266 162 .621 21 3827.0 3271 1557 1384 1764 2581 3.25 122 224 16180 6 60 13 69 CLE
131 Johnny Vander Meer 7.69 1937 1951 22-36 346 286 131 29 28 119 121 .496 2 2104.2 1799 915 805 1132 1294 3.44 107 100 9034 21 3 37 CIN-CHC-CLE
132 Sam Jones 7.68 1951 1964 25-38 322 222 76 17 45 102 101 .502 9 1643.1 1403 752 655 822 1376 3.59 108 151 7074 37 60 0 45 CLE-CHC-SFG-DET-STL-BAL
133 Jim Palmer 7.63 1965 1984 19-38 558 521 211 53 15 268 152 .638 4 3948.0 3349 1395 1253 1311 2212 2.86 126 303 16114 37 38 11 85 BAL
134 Don Wilson 7.61 1966 1974 21-29 266 245 78 20 10 104 92 .531 2 1748.1 1479 698 611 640 1283 3.15 109 119
 7305 32 47 10 77 HOU
135 Bob Gibson 7.60 1959 1975 23-39 528 482 255 56 21 251 174 .591 6 3884.1 3279 1420 1258 1336 3117 2.91 128 257 16068 118 102 13 108 STL
136 Ubaldo Jimenez 7.49 2006 2011 22-27 118 117 6 2 0 50 36 .581 0 734.0 611 313 290 321 656 3.56 132 47 3087 21 36 4 43 COL
137 Walter Johnson 7.48 1907 1927 19-39 802 666 531 110 127 417 279 .599 34 5914.1 4913 1902 1424 1363 3509 2.17 147 97 23405 94 205 4 154 WSH
138 Tom Seaver 7.47 1967 1986 22-41 656 647 231 61 6 311 205 .603 1 4783.0 3971 1674 1521 1390 3640 2.86 128 380 19369 116 76 8 126 NYM-TOT-CIN-CHW
139 Jim Maloney 7.39 1960 1971 20-31 302 262 74 30 18 134 84 .615 4 1849.0 1518 729 655 810 1605 3.19 116 138 7745 39 36 2 124 CIN-CAL
140 Randy Johnson 7.28 1988 2009 24-45 618 603 100 37 7 303 166 .646 2 4135.1 3346 1703 1513 1497 4875 3.29 136 411 17067 37 190 33 109 MON-SEA-TOT-ARI-NYY-SFG
141 Rex Barney 7.14 1943 1950 18-25 155 81 20 6 30 35 31 .530 1 597.2 474 328
 286 410 336 4.31
 92 48 2593 15 4 21 BRO
142 Hoyt Wilhelm 7.01 1952 1972 29-49 1070 52 20 5 651 143 122 .540 227 2254.1 1757 773 632 778 1610 2.52 147 150 9164 61 62 4 90 NYG-BAL-CHW-TOT-LAD
143 Sandy Koufax 6.79 1955 1966 19-30 397 314 137 40 44 165 87 .655 9 2324.1 1754 806 713 817 2396 2.76 131 204 9497 48 18 7 87 BRO-LAD
144 Nolan Ryan 6.56 1966 1993 19-46 807 773 222 61 13 324 292 .526 3 5386.0 3923 2178 1911 2795 5714 3.19 112 321 22575 78 158 33 277 NYM-CAL-HOU-TEX
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Generated 4/14/2011.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 14th, 2011 at 7:06 pm and is filed under Game Finders, Season Finders. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

18 Responses to “Unlikely No-Hit Pitchers”

  1. M. Scott Eiland Says:
    April 14th, 2011 at 7:36 pm

    If you sort by H/9 Inn for the season that the no-no was thrown, Valenzuela would move way up the list--he was giving up well over a hit an inning (with an ERA+ of 80) in 1990.

  2. John Autin Says:
    April 14th, 2011 at 8:47 pm

    Raphy, I'm glad you posted this. I read Sean's post in a hurry, but didn't quite grasp the meaning. The new feature has been on my wish list.

    BTW, Bobo Holloman's no-hitter came in his first MLB start. In his next 2 starts, he didn't make it through the 3rd inning. But he did have another scoreless start of 8 innings and 2 hits.

    In "Veeck As In Wreck," Bill Veeck tells a story of how Holloman's no-hitter cost Veeck the chance to sign Ernie Banks. As Veeck tells it, he had bought Big Bobo's contract from Syracuse for $10,000 up front and another $25,000 if he lasted a certain length of time with the Browns. Bobo showed poorly in his first 4 relief outings, and Veeck says he was going to send him back to Syracuse to save the $25,000, but Holloman cajoled the team into giving him one start before they cut him. The no-no kept him on the club long enough to bring the balance due. Shortly after, Veeck -- operating the Browns on the frayed end of a shoestring budget -- had a chance to buy Banks's contract from the KC Monarchs, but he couldn't raise the needed $35,000.

    BTW, "Veeck As In Wreck" is a great read. Even if some of Veeck's tales aren't spot-on accurate, he was prescient (writing in 1962) about various forces that would affect the business and the game of baseball in the coming decades.

  3. Joe Reisel Says:
    April 14th, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    I would argue that Bobo Holloman is the clear-cut winner of surprise no-hitters. If you take the nine no-hit innings out of the equation, he jumps to 11.02 hits per nine innings. Without HIS no-hitter, Robertson only climbs to 10.38. Bud Smith climbs to 10.63.

  4. Ted Matula Says:
    April 14th, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    If you add defense to the calculations, Mark Buerhle's perfect game may be the most unlikeliest ever. Not only is Buerhle a pitch-to-contact guy, but that was one of the most horrible defenses of recent memory.

  5. Albert7 Says:
    April 14th, 2011 at 10:56 pm

    The one with the fewest chances to pitch a no hitter is the most unlikely, making Bobo Holloman the clear cut most unlikely pitcher to pitch a no hitter.

    And since Nolan Ryan made the most starts, he was the most likely to pitch a no hitter.

    Sanchez, Holloman and Smith all have only 1 CG, so their no-hitters were all pretty unlikely.

  6. John Autin Says:
    April 14th, 2011 at 11:30 pm

    Tangent: Houston defeated the Padres tonight, 1-0 -- the 4th 1-0 game of the young season.
    Last year, when there were 62 1-0 games -- more than any year since 1976 -- there were no 1-0 games in any team's first 13 games.

  7. Phrozen Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 1:38 am

    Charlie Robertson, not Charlie Robinson.

    I actually saw Mulholland's no-hitter--I was just a kid, and didn't really think much about it at the time, but I'm pretty pleased being able to say that.

  8. Jimbo Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 2:13 am

    I suppose the most likely no hitter that never happened was Roger Clemens? It probably isn't even close...

    Pedro too, though he did once throw 9 innings no hit in a no decision, and he did have far fewer career starts than Roger.

  9. Albert7 Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 4:50 am

    Pedro threw 9 PERFECT innings, not just no hit innings.

    The least likely no hitter is when any New York Met pitcher is pitching. Zero since 1962.

  10. Nash Bruce Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 5:51 am

    @9: (having no rooting interest, one way, or the other) LOL

  11. Sean Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 8:31 am

    Did Matt Young throw a no-no and LOSE? I think he might have thrown 8 no-hit innings on the road when he was with Boston-------but because the home team was winning and didn't have to bat in the 9th--------it didn't 'count'. Young was walking batters and they manufactured a run---or a few runs off him.

  12. deal Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 8:34 am

    Don Larsen (8.38 by my calculations) would rank 93rd Right Behind (or in ftont of Ray Caldwell) correct? It appears several of the Perfect Games were less likely no-hitters then his - of course I am sure most of those games weren't against a bunch of future Hall of Famers.

  13. Jon S C Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 9:18 am

    @11 - yes, you are correct. Andy Hawkins did the same thing. Ken Johnson is the only player I know of that pitched a 9 inning game, and still lost.

  14. Larry R. Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 9:23 am

    Robertson's wasn't only a no-no but a perfecto! Go figure. And Virgil Trucks threw 2 no-nos in a year (1952) in which he went 5-19! I love baseball.

  15. Evil Squirrel Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 10:38 am

    Bud Smith's no hitter is even more unlikely when you consider that in his previous start 5 days earlier, which was against the same team he no-hit (The Padres), he got shelled....

  16. Kelly Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    Is there a way to also look at opponent and also discount September no-no's against teams who are out of contention?

    Also, this is regular season only, obviously, but Don Larsen's has to be considered one of the unlikeliest. Even though his career H/9 was "only" 8.4, you have to take into account that he was pitching on the biggest stage in the world, against a star-laden Dodgers team, that had knocked Larsen out of the game just three days earlier on the way to a 13-8 victory. Add in the perfecto factor and that has to be one of the most unlikely if not the most.

  17. Chuck Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    Bud Smith threw three minor league no-hitters.

    Certainly not an indicator of Major League success as his career record indicates, but precedent is there.

  18. BalBurgh Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 5:07 pm

    Gotta drop the Dock Ellis bomb in there. He would have been the *last* one to see that coming. You know, in between trying to knock the invisible spiders off himself 😉

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