No-Hitters: Soon to be extinct?

The last Dodger no-hitter was a combined effort by Buehler, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia and Adam Liberatore against the Padres in Mexico City, Mexico on May 4, 2018. It was the first combined no hitter in team history, and it was also the first no hitter thrown outside of the United States or Canada.

In their long history, Dodger pitchers have thrown 26 no-hitters. They have been no-hit 20 times. The first one in team history was thrown by Sam Kimber on October 4, 1884. It was a 10-inning game that ended in a tie. Only 3 Dodger pitchers have thrown more than one, Koufax, 4, Erskine and Adonis Terry, 2 each. Koufax has the only perfect game. Dodger pitchers have had some close calls the last couple of years. Max Scherzer took one into the 8th inning last season. He had a perfecto going before it was broken up. Rich Hill pitched nine no-hit innings against the Pirates before giving up a walk off to Josh Harrison a few years ago. Kershaw and Anderson carried no-hit bids through the 7th this year.

Just the other day, the Yankees were no-hit in a combined effort by Astro’s pitchers. But with pitch counts and serious arm injuries so common now, pitchers will probably have less opportunities to finish what they start. I have seen a couple on TV. Kershaw’s over the Rockies, Martinez beating the Dodgers, a Nolan Ryan win over LA. They are exciting to say the least. Most of the excitement coming in the late innings as the tension builds.

In 2010, there were 6 no-hitters thrown. Two of those were thrown by Roy Halladay of the Phillies. The second one was thrown in the playoffs against the Reds. Only the second time in baseball history that a no-hitter was thrown in the post season. Most Dodger fans remember the other one. Don Larsen’s perfect game.

in 2011, there were only three. 2012, there were seven, one of them a combined effort against the Dodgers by the Mariners. They used 6 pitchers to accomplish the feat. 2013, there were 3 once again. In 2014, 5 no-noes’ were thrown, two of them by Dodgers, Kershaw and Beckett. In 2015, the number went up again to seven, with two of those being throw against the Dodgers. Mike Fiers and Jake Arrieta fired those gems.

2016, and 2017, there was only one in either year. Arrieta got his second in 16, and Edison Volquez the only one in 2017. 2018 would see three, one of them the combined effort by the Dodgers. Four in 2019. The shortened 2020 season saw two, both by pitchers for Chicago teams. In 2021, something must have clicked because the number soared and there were eight no-hitters. Cubs threw a combined one against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. SO far this year, there have been three. Two of those were of the combined variety, the Astros and the Mets staff’s throwing them. The other was thrown by Angel rookie, Reid Detmers.

So will the combo be the wave of the future for no-hitters? With pitch counts, one would think so. A starter needs to be extremely efficient to make it through nine innings in this era. When Scherzer flirted with the perfect game last year, his pitch count was not really at what for him would be considered a high number. Kersh was pulled from his start against the Twins simply because he was coming off of a season that ended with injurie.

We might never see another performance like that in our lifetimes. The game is changing. And the no-hitter is getting more and more rare.