The last no-hitter in Major League Baseball was thrown by the Seattle Mariners’ Juan Nicasio on September 30th, 2020. This was his first career no-hitter and only the third in the Mariners’ history. The game took place at T-Mobile Park against the Los Angeles Angels, and was a 6-0 victory for the Mariners.
The no-hitter was just the latest in an impressive season for Nicasio. He had previously posted a 4-1 record with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts since being acquired by the Mariners early in the season. He threw a total of 102 pitches in the no-hitter, with 10 strikeouts and only two walks.
Nicasio got great defense behind him and also showed his versatility, helping his own cause by going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the game.
The Mariners’ last no-hitter had previously been thrown by James Paxton on May 8th, 2017 against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a game that ended 5-0, with twelve strikeouts and no walks.
Who was the last team to throw a no-hitter?
The last team to throw a no-hitter was the Washington Nationals, who achieved the feat on July 25, 2019 against the San Diego Padres. It was thrown by Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Sean Doolittle, who combined to pitch nine perfect innings.
It was the first no-hitter in Nationals franchise history and the second combined no-hitter in MLB history. Scherzer earned the win, becoming the first pitcher to win a no-hitter while walking no batters since Nolan Ryan in 1973.
The game featured 30 strikeouts, the most ever in a no-hitter. It also marked the first no-hitter by any team in the Washington metropolitan area since Lee as a member of the Washington Senators threw his perfect game in 1931.
Has every MLB team been no-hit?
No, not every MLB team has been no-hit. In fact, there is only one MLB team that has never been no-hit, the San Diego Padres. As of 2021, the Padres have gone 6,608 regular season games without ever being no-hit.
On the other hand, the most frequently no-hit team is the Cincinnati Reds with 17 no-hitters. In total, there have been 305 no-hitters in baseball history, but the Padres are the only team that has yet to experience one.
Has anyone thrown a no-hitter in the World Series?
No, no pitcher has thrown a no-hitter in the World Series. A no-hitter occurs when a pitcher doesn’t allow any hits over nine innings of play and is one of the most impressive accomplishments in baseball.
Despite the fact that some of the greatest pitchers in MLB history have competed in the World Series, no one has ever been able to achieve a no-hitter on baseball’s biggest stage. The closest anyone has come was Don Larsen in 1956, when he pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Although he didn’t allow any hits during the game, it was still not a no-hitter as there were a handful of errors, walks and hit batsmen that allowed base runners. The World Series is a daunting task for any pitcher and throwing a no-hitter is a nearly impossible feat, which is why no one has accomplished it yet.
How many MLB teams have a combined no-hitter?
There have been 23 combined no-hitters in Major League Baseball history. A combined no-hitter is a game in which two or more pitchers on the same team combine to pitch a no-hitter. The first combined no-hitter was thrown by Hall of Famers Ed Walsh and Chief Bender of the Chicago White Sox in 1908.
Since then, 22 other teams have completed a combined no-hitter, with the most recent being completed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. The Dodgers’ three pitchers – Julio Urías, Joe Kelly, and B.J.
Curtin – were all able to finish their no-hitter, despite Curtis Granderson coming to the plate as the tying run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Since two pitchers are required to complete a combined no-hitter, 23 different MLB teams have accomplished this feat.
Has there ever been a no-hitter in a MLB debut?
No, there has not ever been a no-hitter in a Major League Baseball debut. Throughout Major League Baseball’s long and storied history, no pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter in their very first start in the league.
There have been numerous close calls, however, with rookie pitchers taking a no-hitter into the late innings of their debut. In the modern era, the only close calls were pitchers Dallas Braden and Jered Weaver, both of whom took perfect games into the 7th inning of their first career starts.
Other close calls included Tony Archer, who pitched 8 and a third no-hit innings in 1991, and Bud Smith, who pitched 8 and two-third no-hit innings in 2001. In the end, however, no pitcher has been able to complete a no-hitter in their MLB debut, making it an MLB record that continues to elude pitchers to this day.
Do all baseball teams have designated hitters?
No, not all baseball teams have designated hitters. The designated hitter (DH) is a role in the game of baseball where a hitter is assigned to bat in place of the pitcher. In the American League (AL) of the Major Leagues, the designated hitter is a mandatory role, with the team needing to field one at all home games.
However, in the National League (NL), the designated hitter is optional and the team must either choose to bat the pitcher of their own or select an available player to act as the designated hitter. The American League adopted the rule of the designated hitter in 1973, while the National League continues to not use the role in any official capacity.
What year did pitchers stop hitting?
In 2020, Major League Baseball implemented a universal designated hitter (DH) rule, which stipulates that pitchers no longer have to hit in National League games. Prior to the rule change, pitchers had been hitting in National League games since 1876, when the National League was founded.
This means that pitchers stopped hitting in 2020. It was the first significant change to the National League rules since 1969, when the league adopted a four-division format. With this rule change, National League pitchers no longer have to hit in order to help their team win.
In fact, most National League teams now have a full-time designated hitter, allowing their teams’ non-pitcher position players to focus solely on their defense and offensive production.
How many single pitcher no-hitters in MLB history?
As of 2020, there have been 294 single-pitcher no-hitters in MLB history. These no-hitters have been thrown by 259 different pitchers and have come in both American League and National League games. The first was thrown by George Bradley of St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1876, and the most recent was thrown by Justus Sheffield of the Seattle Mariners in May 2020.
Of these 294 no-hitters, 22 have been perfect games, in which no batters reached base. The pitcher to throw the most no-hitters was Nolan Ryan, with seven. The pitchers to throw the most no-hitters in the National League were Sandy Koufax and Jim Bunning, with four each.
Five teams have had five or more no-hitters thrown by their pitchers: New York Yankees (9), Boston Red Sox (7), Chicago White Sox (7), Los Angeles Dodgers (6), and San Francisco Giants (5).
Has a pitcher ever thrown a no-hitter and hit a home run?
Yes, a pitcher has thrown a no-hitter and hit a home run. The feat was accomplished just once in the history of Major League Baseball, by Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore in 1917.
On June 23, 1917, Shore was called on to try to relieve starter Babe Ruth who had walked the first batter of the game, Ray Morgan. Shore managed to pick Morgan off first, and then proceeded to retire the next 26 batters in a row.
In the 4th inning, Shore also hit a home run off of Washington Senators starter Walter Johnson. The Red Sox won the game 4-0, and Shore was given credit for a no-hitter.
This remarkable achievement has been recognized throughout baseball’s long history, and will likely remain one of the most unique accomplishments ever seen in the game. In 1991, the Ernie Shore Reference Room at the Baseball Hall of Fame was named in his honor.
Did MLB get rid of pitchers hitting?
Yes, Major League Baseball (MLB) got rid of pitchers hitting after the 2020 season. The use of a designated hitter (DH) for both the National League and the American League is now a standard feature of the MLB game.
The decision to add the designated hitter to both leagues was made in December 2020 by MLB owners in an effort to improve the pace of play and their competitive balance. Prior to this decision, only the American League allowed a designated hitter while the National League required pitchers to hit.
The designated hitter is a player who bats in place of the pitcher and is intended to increase the offensive productivity of the team. This is typically a player who would not be in the field, such as a slugger who does not have the best defensive skills.
Since the introduction of the designated hitter to both leagues, teams are now able to focus more on the pitching and defense, which should mean an increase in quality of play. Furthermore, by removing the pitcher from the batting lineup, it was a safety measure taken to protect pitchers from the potential of vulnerability while hitting.
The changes that MLB has made have been quite popular with fans and players alike, so it looks like the designated hitter is here to stay.
Are pitchers no longer batting?
No, pitchers still bat in Major League Baseball. In fact, since the start of the 2020 season, all pitchers in the National League have been required to bat. Before 2020, the National League employed a designated hitter and pitchers only had to bat in late inning defensive substitutions, so that the team’s scheduled offensive players would not be taken out of the game for a pinch hitter.
The American League had and still does employ a designated hitter, meaning the pitcher does not have to bat during regular play.
Why do pitchers not bat anymore?
Pitchers not batting anymore is a modern day occurrence that has its roots in the early days of baseball. Although players used to be expected to play both offense and defense in games, the rise of specialization in the sport led to pitchers spending more time refining pitching and less time hitting.
As teams began to recognize the value in allowing pitchers to focus solely on developing their throwing skills, the American League introduced the Designated Hitter rule in 1973, allowing teams to substitute one of their batters with a hitter whose primary job was to hit.
This made strategy and game management simpler, gave pitchers more rest throughout the season and also opened up a new opportunity for players to join the team who may not have had the same batting abilities as their peers.
The National League eventually followed suit in 1976 and since then, pitchers have not been expected to bat, giving them much needed rest from the everyday grind of playing baseball. Although the practice of allowing pitchers to not hit was initially controversial, it has become a firmly established tradition in the game, allowing pitcher’s more time for preparation and providing teams with more situational strategy options.
Why were pitchers so good in 1968?
1968 was an iconic year in baseball due to the high caliber of pitching performances seen on the field throughout the season. One of the major factors that contributed to the great performances of pitchers in 1968 was the introduction of the pitching mound that had been raised five inches higher and placed ten inches farther away from home plate.
This smaller distance allowed pitchers to take advantage of the increased break on their curves and sliders, while also making it harder for batters to make contact with the ball. As a result, pitchers were able to control the tempo of their games, striking out more batters and allowing fewer runs.
Additionally, pitchers had also gained an advantage from new pitch types. The slider was introduced to baseball in 1968 and by midseason, it had become a popular pitch with most of the pitchers in the league.
This pitch was used to throw off batters and create more deceptive movement on the ball, allowing pitchers to rack up more strikeouts.
1968 also saw the increased use of the changeup. This pitch was used as an effective offspeed pitch, as it moved much slower through the air and caught batters off guard. Even the best hitters of the era were fooled by this new pitch and it enabled pitchers to dominate their opponents.
Overall, the combination of the raised mound, the introduction of the slider and changeup, and the sheer talent of some of the best pitchers of the era contributed to the great performances of pitchers in 1968.
How many perfect games have been thrown in MLB?
As of 2021, there have been 23 perfect games in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. A perfect game is a game where the pitcher throws the entire nine-inning game without allowing a single baserunner.
The first perfect game was thrown by Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs on June 12, 1880, while the most recent was thrown by Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners on August 15, 2012. Of the 23 perfect games thrown in MLB history, five have been thrown in the last 10 years (2010-2021).
The perfect game pitchers include Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter, Dennis Martinez, Roy Halladay, Mark Buehrle, and the aforementioned Félix Hernández. No active pitcher has thrown a perfect game, and thus it remains a rare feat in baseball history.
