Baseball history is filled with records and trivia. The following pitchers contributed to these by having no-hitters either early or late in their careers.
Since major league records were first kept there have been over 250 no-hitters and 17 official perfect games. For some of the pitchers involved, these occurred early in their careers, while others were ending theirs.
Youngest No Hit Pitcher in the American League
- Vida Blue of the Oakland Athletics was 21 years, two months when he pitched his first and only no hitter against the Minnesota Twins on September 21, 1970. Having had just been called up from the minors earlier in the month, the hard throwing lefthander had hurled a one hitter against the Kansas City Royals ten days before. The following season Blue won 24 games for the A’s in route to 209 career wins.
Youngest No Hit Pitcher in the National League
- In 1891, Amos Rusie, at the age of 20 years and two months, no-hit the Brooklyn Grooms (later Dodgers), while pitching for the New York Giants. An extremely wild, hard throwing right hander, Rusie is considered by baseball historians as being the reason behind the decision in 1893 to move the pitcher‘s mound from 50‘ to its still present-day 60’-6”.
- The youngest in the post-1900 modern era was John Lush who was 20 years and eight months in 1906 when he pitched a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Brooklyn Superbas (later Dodgers). Lush, who also played first base and the outfield, finished his seven year career with an unspectacular pitching record of 66-85.
- The youngest National League pitcher of note to throw a no-hitter was Christy Mathewson of the then New York Giants who, in 1901, was a month short of his 21st birthday when he gave up no hits against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Oldest No Hit Pitcher in the American League
- Nolan Ryan, pitching for the Texas Rangers, was 44 years, three months old when he threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 1, 1991. It was the record setting seventh of the hard throwing right-hander’s spectacular career. In second place with four is the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodger lefthander, Sandy Koufax.
Oldest No Hit Pitcher in the National League
- The Arizona Diamondback’s Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher in National and major league history to throw a perfect game in a 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on May 17, 2004. The left-hander who was 40 years and seven months struck out thirteen and ran the count to three balls on only one batter. It was Johnson’s second no-hitter.
Some Other Perfect Games
- Cy Young was the oldest American Leaguer to ever have a perfect game. He was 37 years and one month old when he led the Boston Americans (Red Sox) to a 3-0 win against the old Philadelphia Athletics on May 5, 1904.
- The youngest American League pitcher to have a perfect game was Jim “Catfish” Hunter of the Oakland Athletics. The future Hall of Famer was 22 years and one month old when he threw his gem against a powerful Minnesota Twins team on May 8, 1968.
- The youngest National Leaguer was Tom Browning, of the Cincinnati Reds, age 28 years, four months, who on September 16, 1988, pitched a perfecto against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The following year, Browning was denied a chance to become the only pitcher to have two perfect games when, in a game against Philadelphia, Dickie Thon led off the ninth inning with a double.
Additional articles on major league pitchers: Youngest and Oldest Pitchers; Youngest and Oldest 300 Game Winners; and, Youngest and Oldest 20 Game Winners.
Sources: Baseball Reference and Baseball Almanac
The copyright of the article No-Hit Major League Pitchers in Major League Baseball is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish No-Hit Major League Pitchers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
