No-Hit

The Yankees have not been no-hit since 1958. Why?

June 15, 2000

On Saturday, September 20, 1958 I was ten years old and already a big Yankee fan. I missed watching or listening to that day’s game in Baltimore, I don’t recall why. The next morning I asked a friend, Ed, if the Yankees had won. “Won?” Ed exclaimed, “They didn’t even get a hit!”

I was stunned. The mighty Yankees, MY Yankees had been … dare I say it? No-hit. The ultimate humiliation. The Yankees of Mantle and Berra. No-hit! And by a relief pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm, making a rare start. I had been to the Stadium only two weeks earlier to witness my first game in person. It was even in color. Mickey had homered in the 8^th and then Yogi homered in the bottom of the 9^th to beat Boston. How could THEY be no-hit? Fortunately, I have not suffered that low feeling since that tender age. Through the 1999 season the Yankees had gone the longest of any team without being no-hit, 41 years, 6,501 regular season games.

Why?

Why them? It had to be some team, but why this team?

First, a clarification on Hoyt Wilhelm. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 as a relief pitcher. His career started in 1952 but he did not make his first start until 1958 when he started 10 of 39 games, 6 for Cleveland and 4 for Baltimore. The following two seasons he started 27 of 32 games then 11 of 41. He pitched until 1972 and started only 4 more games, 1 in 1961 and 3 in 1963. Wilhelm’s win against the Yankees brought his record in 1958 to 3-10.

The Yankees led the rest of the American League by more than ten games throughout September, 1958. By the 20^th they had clinched the AL pennant and even with the loss were still ten and a half in front after 148 games. Manager Casey Stengel had been toying with the idea of converting Moose Skowron from first base to third. With infielders McDougald, Kubek and Carey unavailable, Stengel took the opportunity to play the Moose at third where he committed a double error on a roller hit by Wilhelm. Here’s how the Yankees did against Wilhelm in front of 10,941 Baltimore fans.

AB Hits

Bauer, RF 4 0

Lumpe, SS 2 0

Mantle, CF 3 0

Skowron, 3B 3 0

Siebern, LF 3 0

Howard, C 3 0

Throneberry, 1B 2 0

Berra, 1B 1 0

Richardson, 2B 2 0

Larsen, P 2 0

Shantz, P 0 0

Slaughter, PH 1 0

Not quite their best lineup but certainly a very good one. The only run of the game came in the 8^th off Bobby Shantz on the 30^th home run of the season by Oriole catcher Gus Triandos. That tied Yogi Berra’s AL record for homers in a season by a catcher. Yogi had done it twice before. The New York Times noted that it was the first no-hitter by a Baltimore pitcher since Jim Hughes of the old Orioles on April 22, 1898.

But why the Yankees? Let’s look at some factors.

Wins
Designated Hitter (DH)
Hitting
Expansion

Was their streak really that unusual? How had other teams fared during those 41 seasons? Listed alphabetically, here are the no-hit records against teams from 1959 through 1999.

Against: the number of no-hitters against that team

Ave.: Years divided by Against

From: first year team existed during the study years

To: last year of the study period

Years: number of seasons the team existed during the study years

Streak: number seasons since last being no-hit

<9: hitless in games of less than 9 innings

Team Last AgainstAve. From To Years Streak <9

Angels 1999 7 5.6 1961 1999 39 0

Astros 1997 3 12.7 1962 1999 38 2

Athletics 1991 8 5.1 1959 1999 41 8

Blue Jays 1991 3 7.7 1977 1999 23 8

Braves 1983 5 8.2 1959 1999 41 16

Brewers 1974 1 30.0 1970 1999 30 25

Cardinals 1990 5 8.2 1959 1999 41 9 plus 7 inn

Cubs 1965 2 20.5 1959 1999 41 34

Diamondbacks 1999 1 2.0 1998 1999 2 0

Devil Rays 0 0.0 1998 1999 2

Dodgers 1994 5 8.2 1959 1999 41 5

Expos 1999 3 10.3 1969 1999 31 0

Giants 1997 7 5.9 1959 1999 41 2

Indians 1993 4 10.3 1959 1999 41 6 plus 8 inn

Mariners 1996 2 11.5 1977 1999 23 3

Marlins 1995 1 7.0 1993 1999 7 4

Mets 1993 6 6.3 1962 1999 38 6 plus 10 no-hit inn

Orioles 1991 4 10.3 1959 1999 41 8

Padres 1991 4 7.8 1969 1999 31 8

Phillies 1978 8 5.1 1959 1999 41 21 plus TWO 5 inn

Pirates 1971 1 41.0 1959 1999 41 28

Rangers 1984 2 14.0 1972 1999 28 15

Red Sox 1993 3 13.7 1959 1999 41 6 plus 5 inn

Reds 1971 4 10.3 1959 1999 41 28

Rockies 1996 2 3.5 1993 1999 7 3

Royals 1973 1 31.0 1969 1999 31 26

Senators 1966 1 11.0 1961 1971 11 5

Tigers 1990 5 8.2 1959 1999 41 9

Twins 1998 4 9.8 1961 1999 39 1

White Sox 1991 4 10.3 1959 1999 41 8 plus 8 inn

Yankees 1958 0 0 1959 1999 41 41 plus 6 inn

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have avoided being no-hit in their two years of existence. The Seattle Pilots did the same in their only year, 1969, and are essentially omitted from this study.

The Yankees record is not pristine. On Thursday, July 12, 1990 Melido Perez beat the Yankees 8-0 and held them hitless in Yankee Stadium in a 6 inning game. So we’re looking at no-hitters of at least 9 innings.

The second longest active streak is 34 seasons by the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs also went 35 years, from 1917 through 1952, without being no-hit. Gee, they aren’t very good. Maybe that theory about the best team is wrong. The Cubs have been no-hit only two times from 1959 through 1999, both in 1965. Both can be excused. On Aug. 19 Jim Maloney no-hit them 1-0 in 10 innings in Chicago. On June 14, 1965 Maloney had no-hit the Mets through 10 only to lose the no-hitter and the game 1-0 in the eleventh. Maloney pitched his second no-hitter in 1969 against Houston. On September 9, 1965 Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect 1-0 game against the Cubs in Los Angeles! Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley allowed just 1 hit; it came in 7^th. It was Koufax’s fourth of four no-hitters making him the first to pitch four, one in each of four consecutive years. Nolan Ryan broke that record with seven no-hitters.

Since 1959, four teams have dodged a bullet, all in the National League:

First Last Date For Against Inn Score

Harvey Haddix Tuesday, May 26, 1959 Pirates Braves 12 0-1

Jim Maloney Monday, June 14, 1965 Reds Mets 10 0-1

Mark Gardner Friday, July 26, 1991 Expos Dodgers 9 0-1

Pedro Martinez Saturday, June 03, 1995 Expos Padres 9 1-0

All lost their no-hitters after the inning shown. Only Martinez won.

Both the Reds and the Pirates have not been no-hit since 1971, 28 seasons. The Reds have been no-hit 4 times since 1959. The Pirates come the closest to matching the Yankees feat. That no-hitter in 1971 is the only one against them from 1959 through 1999.

The teams which have been no-hit the most times since 1959 are the Athletics and Phillies. Eight times each! The Phillies break the tie with two five inning no-hitters against them. The Phillies are not very good but the Athletics surprised me. Well, the Athletics played in Philadelphia through 1954. Maybe there’s something in the water causing both an immediate and a long-term effect.

1. Wins

The Yankees were the best team and that’s why they have the streak. Sounds good. But were they really the best from 1959 through 1999 and how much does that matter?

From 1959 through 1999 the Yankees did, in fact, win the most games. Here are the top six, all of which are among the 16 teams in existence since 1959.

Team Wins Losses Against Streak

Yankees 3563 2920 0 41

Orioles 3523 2952 4 8

Dodgers 3498 2996 5 5

Reds 3477 3008 4 28

Red Sox 3369 3121 3 6

Pirates 3348 3130 1 28

The Cubs came in thirtennth. The top six teams maintain this same order when matched against all teams based on winning percentage. The Cubs are 25^th in winning percentage. The Athletics and Phillies are 12^th and 13^th respectively in wins, 18^th and 20^th in winning percentage. The Cubs seem to be the anomaly. Three of the four longest active streaks are among the six winningest teams.

So there may be some correlation between winning and not being no-hit, Andy Hawkins 4-0 complete game (8 innings) no-hitter loss for the Yankees in 1990 in Comiskey Park Chicago not withstanding. There were two 9 inning no-hitters lost from 1959 through 1999:

First Last Date For Against Score

Ken Johnson Thursday, April 23, 1964 Astros Reds 0-1

Steve Barber Sunday, April 30, 1967 Orioles Tigers 1-2

2. Designated Hitter (DH)

Hey, didn’t the Yankees benefit from the DH, which was introduced in the American League in 1973? Well no more than any other AL team. Following the Yankees in length of streak are three NL teams: Cubs (34 years), Pirates (28) and Reds (28). Then come the Royals (26) and Brewers (25) who spent most of that time in the AL.

The DH turns 8 hitters into 9. That’s an increase of 12.5%. What are the actual numbers from 1973 through 1999?

L AB Hits BA

A 1,990,209 526,384 .264

N 1,830,502 470,990 .257

That’s a difference of .007 or 2.6% higher Batting Average in the AL.

Has that extra 2.6% in BA in the AL resulted in fewer no-hitters in the AL? Here are the numbers from 1973 through 1999.

L No-hitters

A 36

N 28

The AL actually had more no-hitters during the DH years than the NL. Here are the numbers from 1959 through 1972.

L No-hitters

A 14

N 30

Wow! Why? Let’s think about what actually happens during a game when a team is hitless. The pitcher bats ninth unless that team is the Cardinals and manager Tony LaRussa is practicing rocket science without a license. The pitcher bats in the 3^rdinning and again in the 5^th or 6^th inning. His manager then pinch-hits for him in his third time at bat. That ninth spot in the batting order is very unlikely to come up a fourth time during a no-hitter. The pitcher throwing the no-hitter faces the opposing pitcher at most twice. Since a team needs to get 27 outs for the no-hitter, that’s 2 out of 27 or 7.4%. That’s sounds like a lot. It’s two-thirds of an inning. In the real world it just has not resulted in more no-hitters.

3. Hitting

The Yankees were the best hitting team. Again, were they and how should that be determined? Most runs, most hits, highest batting average?

Here are the top 16 teams in number of hits.

TeamName AB Hits BA

Red Sox 222,496 59,390 .267

Pirates 222,853 58,736 .264

Yankees 221,815 58,067 .262

Cardinals 221,769 58,013 .262

Indians 221,401 57,745 .261

Reds 221,377 57,666 .260

White Sox 220,535 57,013 .259

Cubs 221,583 56,631 .256

Dodgers 220,489 56,505 .256

Tigers 220,912 56,470 .256

Braves 220,307 56,350 .256

Orioles 219,905 56,308 .256

Phillies 220,447 56,050 .254

Twins 211,809 55,977 .264

Giants 220,664 55,976 .254

Athletics 219,241 55,199 .252

The Yanks and Pirates are near the top.

Here are all teams in order by batting average.

TeamName AB Hits BA

Rockies 37,059 10,513 .284

Devil Rays 11,145 2,981 .267

Red Sox 222,496 59,390 .267

Rangers 150,650 39,829 .264

Twins 211,809 55,977 .264

Royals 167,035 44,112 .264

Pirates 222,853 58,736 .264

Blue Jays 123,639 32,431 .262

Diamondbacks 11,149 2,919 .262

Yankees 221,815 58,067 .262

Cardinals 221,769 58,013 .262

Mariners 123,001 32,166 .262

Brewers 161,287 42,123 .261

Indians 221,401 57,745 .261

Reds 221,377 57,666 .260

White Sox 220,535 57,013 .259

Marlins 36,360 9,346 .257

Dodgers 220,489 56,505 .256

Orioles 219,905 56,308 .256

Braves 220,307 56,350 .256

Tigers 220,912 56,470 .256

Cubs 221,583 56,631 .256

Phillies 220,447 56,050 .254

Giants 220,664 55,976 .254

Angels 209,287 53,016 .253

Astros 204,426 51,691 .253

Expos 165,579 41,848 .253

Athletics 219,241 55,199 .252

Padres 165,784 41,599 .251

Mets 203,639 50,542 .248

Senators 69,762 16,425 .235

Pilots 5,444 1,276 .234

The Yankees dropping to tenth may be due to the increase in hitting in recent years, which would favor the newer teams. The Athletics are last among the 16 original teams and tied with the Phillies (13 out of 16) in being no-hit the most times, 8.

What about team averages in the years in which they were no-hit? After all, the Yankees had some real down periods at least in wins: the late 1960s and the early 1990s.

From 1959 through 1999 there were 108 no-hitters. Here’s the dispersal of team BA for that season for the teams no-hit and for the Yankees over those 41 seasons.

BA NO NO % Cum % Yanks Yanks % Cum %

.210s 0 0.0% 0.0% 1 2.4% 2.4%

.220s 4 3.7% 3.7% 1 2.4% 4.9%

.230s 13 12.0% 15.7% 3 7.3% 12.2%

.240s 31 28.7% 44.4% 2 4.9% 17.1%

.250s 31 28.7% 73.1% 7 17.1% 34.1%

.260s 17 15.7% 85.2% 16 39.0% 73.2%

.270s 9 8.3% 97.2% 5 12.2% 82.9%

.280s 3 2.8% 100.0% 5 12.2% 97.6%

.290s 0 0.0% 100.0% 1 2.4% 100.0%

Total 108 41

Two team teams hitting .287, ten points higher than any others, were no-hit:

First Last Date For Against Score

Al Leiter Saturday, May 11, 1996 Marlins Rockies 11-0

DwightGooden Tuesday, May 14, 1996 Yankees Mariners 2-0

Hideo Nomo Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1996 Dodgers Rockies 9-0

The Yankees were clearly ahead of the teams that were no-hit. For instance, in only 34.1% of those 41 seasons were the Yankees below .260, while 73.1% of the teams no-hit were below .260. Here are the 7 seasons when the Yankees were BELOW .250 and most vulnerable.

Year BA Rank among all Yankee teams

1968 .214 lowest

1967 .225 2

1969 .235 5

1965 .235 6

1966 .235 7

1990 .241 11

1972 .249 18

Except for 1946, when the Yankees were no-hit, all other seasons this low were before 1918. Babe Ruth arrived in 1920.

Of the 16 original teams the Athletics had the lowest average - .252. Teams with season BA less than .252 were no-hit 52 times. That’s 48% of the no-hitters. The Cubs, with the second longest streak, were eighth at .256, pretty much the mid-point. 64 teams were no-hit with BA less than .256 – 59% of the no-hitters. 79 no-hitters were of teams with BA less than .260 – 73% of the no-hitters.

4. Expansion

From 1959 through 1999 there were 108 no-hitters, 50 in the AL, 58 in the NL. There were none in 1959; Wilhelm’s against the Yankees was the last of the decade. Here they are by decade.

1960s 34

1970s 31

1980s 13

1990s 30

This does not reflect the increase in the schedule from 154 to 162 games per team in 1961 in the AL and in 1962 in the NL. That’s an increase of 5% per team. Going from 8 to 10 teams is an increase of 25% in the number of teams. AL games increased in 1961 from 1,234 to 1,622. Blah, blah, blah. You get the idea.

Here’s how the increases went.

Games Games Num Increase From From

Year L Team League Teams Prev 1960

1960 A 154 1,232 8

1961 A 162 1,620 10 324 26% 31%

1962 N 162 1,620 10 324 26% 31%

1969 A 162 1,944 12 324 20% 58%

1969 N 162 1,944 12 324 20% 58%

1977 A 162 2,268 14 324 17% 84%

1993 N 162 2,268 14 324 17% 84%

1998 N 162 2,592 16 324 14% 110%

Now let’s look at the decade dispersion based on the number of games.

NO Games NO/G X

1950s 18 29,568 1,643

1960s 34 31,922 939 175%

1970s 31 39,612 1,278 129%

1980s 13 40,674 3,129 53%

1990s 30 43,187 1,440 114%

Total 108

X – the 1950s No-Hitters/Games result of 1,643 divided by No-Hitters/Games of each of the subsequent decades.

In the 1960s, when expansion was most profound, there was a no-hitter once every 939 games. In the 1980s, when there was no expansion, there was a no-hitter only once every 3,129 games. Using the 1950s as the base, the 1960s had 75% more no-hitters per game than the 1950s. The 1980s had no-hitters per game only 53% as frequently as in the 1950s. The 1990s, with all the hitting, had 14% more no-hitters per game compared to the 1950s.

Everyone talks about expansion diluting pitching, but hitting is diluted as well. Expansion appears to have increased the number of no-hitters.

Summary:

How were the Yankees effected by the four areas examined?

1. Wins helped

2. DH neutral

3. Hitting helped

4. Expansion hurt

Through 1999 there have been 225 no-hitters of at least 9 innings. Four of those went ten innings.

First Last For Against Date Score

Hooks Wiltse Giants Pirates Saturday, July 04, 1908 1-0

Fred Toney Reds Cubs Wednesday, May 02, 1917 1-0

Jim Maloney Reds Cubs Thursday, August 19, 1965 1-0

Francisco Cordova Pirates Astros Saturday, July 12, 1997 3-0

The Cubs managed to be victimized twice.

The Yankees have been no-hit 6 times. That matches the Mets’ total and they started in 1962.

Here are all the no-hitters against the Yankees.

First Last For At Date Score

Cy Young Red Sox NY Tuesday, June 30, 1908 8-0

Rube Foster Red Sox Bos Wednesday, June 21, 1916 2-0

Ray Caldwell Indians NY Wednesday, Sept. 10, 1919 3-0

Bob Feller Indians NY Tuesday, April 30, 1946 1-0

Virgil Trucks Tigers NY Monday, August 25, 1952 1-0

Hoyt Wilhelm Orioles Bal Saturday, Sept. 20, 1958 1-0

The 1908 game was played at Hilltop Park in Manhattan. The 1919 game was played at the Polo Grounds, also in Manhattan. The 1946 and 1952 games were played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Since Babe Ruth arrived in 1920, the Yankees have been no-hit only three times, matching the Cubs and Pirates for the lowest number for teams in existence from 1920 through 1999. The 1946 game was opening day, the first game after the players had been in military service during World War II. Bob Feller, the greatest pitcher of the era, was on the mound for Cleveland. This was Feller’s second of three no-hitters. The Yankees BA in 1946 was only .248, their 15^th lowest in their 97 seasons.

Virgil Trucks’ performance was his second no-hitter of 1952. The only other pitchers with two no-hitters in one season: Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds in 1938, Allie Reynolds of the Yankees in 1951 and Nolan Ryan of the Angels in 1973. Vander Meer’s were consecutive.

Teams being no-hit in double digits since 1920:

Dodgers 10

Braves 11

Giants 11

Athletics 12

Phillies 13

Now let’s take brief look at the teams which pitched no-hitters. Here are those in double digits all time:

Dodgers 20

Indians 15

White Sox 15

Braves 14

Red Sox 14

Reds 14

Cubs 12

Giants 12

Yankees 11

Athletics 10

Here are double digit victims of being no-hit all time:

Indians 10

Red Sox 11

Tigers 12

White Sox 12

Braves 14

Giants 14

Athletics 14

Dodgers 16

Phillies 17

Let’s put the two together. Here are all teams with at least one no-hitter for and at least one no-hitter against sorted on percentage.

Team For AgainstDif Total Pct

Royals 4 1 3 5 .800

Astros 9 3 6 12 .750

Rangers 5 2 3 7 .714

Bisons 2 1 1 3 .667

Marlin 2 1 1 3 .667

Cubs 12 6 6 18 .667

Yankees 11 6 5 17 .647

Reds 14 8 6 22 .636

Indians 15 10 5 25 .600

Orioles 7 5 2 12 .583

Expos 4 3 1 7 .571

Red Sox 14 11 3 25 .560

White Sox 15 12 3 27 .556

Dodgers 20 16 4 36 .556

Angels 8 7 1 15 .533

Cardinals 8 7 1 15 .533

Brewers 1 1 0 2 .500

Braves 14 14 0 28 .500

Mariners 2 2 0 4 .500

Giants 12 14 -2 26 .462

Pirates 6 7 -1 13 .462

Twins 3 4 -1 7 .429

Athletics 10 14 -4 24 .417

Grays 2 3 -1 5 .400

Browns 4 8 -4 12 .333

Ruby Legs 1 2 -1 3 .333

Blues 1 2 -1 3 .333

Phillies 8 17 -9 25 .320

Tigers 5 12 -7 17 .294

Blue Jays 1 3 -2 4 .250

Senators 2 7 -5 9 .222

The Mets are 0 and 6.

________________________________________

Longest streaks of not being no-hit in a game of at least 9 innings, all based on regular season games:

Seasons Years <9 From To Days Games

Yanks 41 1958-1999 6 inn 1990 9/3/58 10/3/99 14,988 6,501 *

Cards 41 1919-1960 7 inn 1959 5/11/19 5/15/60 14,980 6,344

Cubs 35 1917-1952 5/2/17 6/19/52 12,832 5,413

Cubs 34 1965-1999 9/9/65 10/3/99 12,442 5,399 *

Reds 33 1907-1940 8 inn 1937 5/2/17 8/30/40 12,168

Giants 33 1915-1948 8/31/15 9/9/48 12,063

But the longest team hitting streak belongs to the Cardinals:

Cards 40 1919-1959 5/11/19 9/26/59 14,748 6,179

Cubs 35 1917-1952 5/2/17 6/19/52 12,832 5,413

Cubs 34 1965-1999 9/9/65 10/3/99 12,442 5,399 *

* Active

Based on the definition that a no-hitter must be at least 9 innings, the Yankees have the longest streak of all time and it is still active. But the Cardinals’ achievement ranks as the longest hitting streak. Why? The Yankees hitting streak was stopped in 1990 when they went without a hit in a 6 inning game. If that happened to an individual batter, say Joe DiMaggio, that batter’s hitting streak would be stopped. In 1954 the Cardinals broke the record set by the Cubs from 1917 to 1952.

The Cardinals were 3-12 after being no-hit 6-0 on Sunday, May 11, 1919 by Hod Eller of the Reds in St. Louis. On Saturday, September 26, 1959 in St. Louis Sam Jones of the San Francisco Giants made his record 21-15 after holding the Cardinals (69-83) without a hit for 7 innings in a 4-0 loss; it was the first game of a rained out twi-night doubleheader; Mays and McCovey homered for the Giants who were still in the race. For the Cards:

AB Hits

Musial 3 0

Boyer 3 0

Flood 3 0

On Sunday, May 15, 1960 in the second game of a doubleheader the Cardinals (10-16) were finally stopped completely and by the team whose record they had broken: the Cubs 4-0 in 9 innings in Chicago. The New York Times noted: “(Don) Cardwell’s no-hitter was the first against the Cardinals since 1919.” There was no mention of the Sam Jones game only the year before. For the Cards:

AB Hits

White 3 0

Boyer 3 0

Musial 1 0

Ironically, that same Sam Jones pitched the last no-hitter FOR the Chicago Cubs: Thursday, May 12, 1955 against those hard to no-hit Pirates in Chicago.

The Cubs streak from 1917 to 1952 started in grand fashion. On Wednesday, May 02, 1917 in Chicago Fred Toney of the Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Cubs had a scoreless double no-hitter through 9 innings! Reds shortstop Larry Kopf, a .249 lifetime batter, singled to break it up in the 10^th and, after reaching third, scored the only run when Jim Thorpe, the football and track legend, beat out a slow bounder to Vaughn for only the second hit of the game. The streak ended in Brooklyn on Thursday, June 19, 1952 when Carl Erskine of the Dodgers allowed only one base runner – on a walk. The score was 5-0.

The Cubs active streak started 1965 in similar fashion to their first streak. On Thursday, September 09, 1965 in Los Angeles Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers and Bob Hendley of the Cubs were locked in another scoreless double no-hitter, this time only through 6 innings. Hendley lost a one-hitter 1-0 to Koufax’s perfect game. By the middle of the 2000 season, the Cubs have gone the third longest without being no-hit in baseball history. It is also the second longest hitting streak in baseball history. The Cubs could break the Cardinals team hitting streak record in about five years.

*** The End ***