In 1964, Ken Johnson made baseball history while pitching for the Houston Colt.45s. Johnson had thrown a nine-inning no-hitter, yet his team had lost to their opponents, the Cincinnati Reds. Pete Rose had made the single run of the game. It was the first time such an anomaly had occurred in the MLB, but it beautifully illustrated why a no-hitter is not the same as a perfect game.
A no-hitter in baseball means the pitcher(s) gave up no hits during a complete game, thus a minimum of nine-innings. However, unlike a perfect game, players on the opposing team may have reached base in other ways. Nor does a no-hitter mean the team has won.
All perfect games are no-hitters, but not all no-hitters are perfect games. To achieve a perfect game, no player from the opposing team can reach first base. As of July 2022, only 23 games have achieved this goal. However, no-hitters might be different, where the opposing team can not only make it first base, they might even score.
What Is A No Hitter In Baseball?
A no-hitter in baseball is when one team manages to not give up a single hit. These games usually happen with a single pitcher, but sometimes the feat is accomplished with more from the same team.
But unlike a perfect game, a no-hitter can involve players from the opposite team reaching the bases. Nor is a no-hitter necessarily a shutout, where one team has managed to keep the other from scoring a single run.
Thus, all perfect games are no-hitters, a shutout, and a win. However, not all no-hitters are a shutout or a win.
To add to the confusion, not all no-hitters involve no hits. But due to how baseball stats are recorded, these hits are not counted as hits.
How Do Players Get On Base During A No-Hitter Game?
A pitcher can throw a no-hitter, yet players from the opposing team can still end up on base and even score. There are a few ways for a player to make it on base without it counting as a hit:
- The batter was walked
- The pitcher hit the batter
- The batter stole first when the third strike was dropped
- The batter hit a forced out but is safe
- The batter hit an out, but there was an error
The Batter Was Walked To First Base
A no-hitter can involve a batter being “walked” to first base. Usually, this is done accidentally, but there have been instances when a pitcher has deliberately walked a batter as part of the game strategy. A walk results from four balls rather than a strike, foul, or hit.
So, during a baseball game, an umpire calls a pitcher’s unhit throw either as a:
- Strike
- Ball
A strike is the batter swings at a ball and missed, or the ball whizzed past the batter inside the strike zone.
A foul ball can also be counted as a strike, provided it’s the first or the second, but never a third. If a batter tallies up three strikes, then they are “out” and must take the walk of shame back to the dugout.
The third foul ball can repeatedly happen until the batter is either “walked,” hits the ball, struck out, or the foul ball is caught.
A ball in pitching is when the throw crosses the line of the plate outside of the strike zone. So, if a pitcher throws four of these at the same batter, it’s called a walk, and the batter is awarded first base.
The Batter Was Hit And Awarded First Base
If the pitcher hits the batter, the batter is given first base. If the batter is far too injured from the event to take the base, a pinch runner from their team can take the base for them.
If the umpire thinks the pitcher hit the batter deliberately, the pitcher can also be thrown out of the game. However, it is usually deemed an accident.
However, if the batter deliberately moved their body into the strike zone or didn’t attempt to get out of the way. In these cases, it is called a ball. If the batter hits the ball and then the ball hits the batter, it is called a strike or a foul tip, depending if it was a deliberate swing or if it occurred when the batter was trying to get out of the way.
The Third Strike Was Dropped, And The Batter Stole First
If the catcher drops or misses the third strike, the batter can try to steal first base (and even run further, if they can).
Dropping the third strike isn’t common, but it isn’t unheard of, even in the MBL. The most famous dropped third strike is Mikey Owen’s in the 1941 World Series. You can still listen to Owen’s heartbreak moment on Youtube.
Nor has a dropped third strike always been an accident. For example, a deliberate dropped third strike was used as a clever ploy to execute a double play (two outs). However, the infield fly rule in 1895 and amendments to the third strike rule in 1887 have made such a strategy nearly impossible in modern MBL.
The Batter Hit A Forced Out But Is Safe On First
A batter can hit the ball, but it still won’t be recorded as a hit if there is a forced-out. But a forced out isn’t always the batter. Take the game where Pete Rose scored, making Ken Johnson the first pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter and lose. Pete Rose got on base by bunting a forced-out.
The Hit Was An Out, But An Error Left The Batter Safe
A hit is also not a hit if it is deemed an error. An error is a subjective ruling where the fielding team “should” have been able to get the batter out. For example, a pop-up fly ball that could have been caught by a child is considered an “easy out.” If, for whatever reason, it isn’t caught, the hit is recorded as an error, even if the batter reaches first (or beyond) and is safe.
How Many No Hitters Has the MBL Had?
As of July 2022, there have been 316 no-hitters. Only eighteen of these games were pitched by more than a single pitcher.
Why Do Eight Inning No Hitters Not Count?
The Elias Sports Bureau ruled in 1991 that for a game to be recorded as a no-hitter, at least nine-innings had to be played. However, an official game can end as early as five innings.
Official games ending before eight-innings are usually cut short due to the weather. The Elias Sports Bureau ruling on no-hitters is understandable.
However, the Elias Sports Bureau’s ruling is controversial in the eight-inning games. The reason has to do with how the ninth inning is counted. A game is only considered to be nine innings long if both the top and the bottom of the ninth are played. But, the bottom of the ninth inning is never played if the home team has already won.
To explain, the visiting team always bats at the top of an inning, meaning they bat first. If the home team has more runs and the visiting team fails to at least tie the score or get ahead, then there is no point in playing the bottom of the ninth inning. In these instances, a pitcher’s no-hitter isn’t recorded even though the game entered the ninth inning and wasn’t cut short due to the weather.
Have MLB Teams Pitched A No Hitter And Lost?
Baseball teams have lost despite not giving up hits. Out of the six games where this has occurred, the majority do not fall into the modern definition of a no-hitter. Nonetheless, the no-hits-yet-lost are as follows:
- May 15, 2022 Reds (0) vs. Pirates (1)
- June 28, 2008, Angels (0) vs. Dodgers (1)
- April 12, 1992, Guardians (0) vs. Red Sox (3)
- July 1, 1990, Yankees (0) vs. White Sox (4)
- April 30, 1967, Orioles (1) vs. Tigers (2)
- April 23, 1964, Colt.45s (0) Vs Reds (1)
Conclusion
No-hitters are a fantastic feat, but they do not guarantee a team a win. Unlike a perfect game, there are other ways for batters to reach base, and sometimes they score. Thus, on the rare occurrence, a pitcher(s) can throw a no-hitter and still be on the losing team.