Every no-hitter (so far) thrown in MLB in 2021, ranked
Six no-hitters have been throw in MLB in 2021. They’re all pretty good but let’s rank them anyway
This has clearly been an unusual year in baseball. Just weeks into the 2021 MLB season, six (arguably seven) no-hitters have already been thrown.
It’s May 21.
Even weirder, the six official no-hitters have been thrown against just three teams: the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Indians twice apiece.
Or maybe that’s not quite so strange. The Mariners (.198) are actually hitting beneath the Mendoza BADBAT Line. The Indians (.213) are not much above it themselves.
Oh, and Madison Bumgarner threw a no-hitter, too*
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way before we even begin.
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner threw a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves on April 25.
MLB may not recognize it as such, but we do.
Bumgarner took the mound in a game scheduled to go for seven innings. He threw seven innings, a complete game, without allowing a hit.
How is that not a no-hitter? The game went the scheduled distance. Don’t blame us, MLB. You made the rules.
In any case, Bumgarner’s no-hitter would only rank as high as seventh-best by any objective measure because he only pitched seven innings, so we’ll just slot it in as honorable mention now — and for the rest of the year.
Bumgarner struck out seven and allowed no walks in the 7-0 victory.
This comes to a game score of 84, which is tied for the 18th best game pitched this year.
Game score is a statistic created by Bill James. The formula is relatively quick and easy to explain. Per MLB.com:
• Start with 50 points • Add 1 point for each out recorded (or 3 points per inning) • Add 2 points for each inning completed after the fourth • Add 1 additional point for every strikeout • Remove 2 points for each hit allowed • Remove 4 points for each earned run allowed • Remove 2 points for each unearned run allowed • Remove 1 point for each walk allowed
2021 No. 6 ranked no-hitter: Spencer Turnbull vs. the Seattle Mariners
Game score is a great way of comparing relative pitching performances, but we’ll be on our own for the first batch of no-hitters. That’s because Wade Miley, Carlos Rodon, and Spencer Turnbull each finished with a game score of 95.
This exercise is going to be harder than it looked on Slack.
Unfortunately, someone has to be last. Aesthetically, Spencer Turnbull’s no-hitter checks in just a little worse than the others.
But hey — the sixth-best no-hitter is still a no-hitter. You can’t be too upset about being ranked sixth on a list of the best no-hitters.
The extenuating circumstances resulting in this ranking:
- The Mariners are exceptionally awful at hitting a baseball successfully.
- They were a little better at taking a walk.
Though Turnbull threw nine strikeouts — more than either Rodon or Miley, he walked two. That’s also more than Rodon or Miley.
In an activity as finely calibrated as ranking no-hitters, whatchagonnado? Everything’s gotta count.
Speaking of counting, Turnbull also needed the most pitches to record a no-hitter this year at 117.
He almost certainly would have ended up a little higher in the rankings had he not walked a batter to lead off the ninth.
Spencer Turnbull no-hitter video highlights
2021 No. 5 ranked no-hitter: Wade Miley vs. Cleveland Indians, May 7
Our next two no-hitters have one thing in common: they were both thrown against the Cleveland Indians. Having a common opponent is nice. It gives a little commonality, so we can decisively say that Wade Miley of the Reds twirled the fifth-best no-hitter of 2021.
How can you say anything decisively? It was a no-hitter! You might ask, then exclaim.
This is how.
Miley faced 29 batters out of the minimum of 27. He threw 16 first-pitch strikes.
One batter, Cesar Hernandez, managed to take a walk — and he has an on-base percentage under .300.
Clearly, that makes all the difference under our completely scientific and definitely not arbitrary system of rules.
It was, of course, a great game pitched by Miley. He pitched a no-hitter. Of course it was great.
He struck out eight and got out the first 16 batters he faced to take a perfect game into the the sixth inning.
To give Miley a few bonus points, this game could have actually been in doubt. With a 3-0 score, Miley got some of the worst run support of any no-hitter thrown during the first two months of the year.
And you gotta admit, a .609 win-probability added (per FanGraphs) is pretty impressive.
Wade Miley no-hitter video highlights
2021 No. 4 ranked no-hitter: Carlos Rodon vs. Cleveland Indians, April 14
Carlos Rodon of the White Sox most definitely pitched the fourth-best no-hitter of 2021, though it was only the second-best of April.
In an 8-0 win over the Indians, the White Sox ace struck out seven and walked none.
He faced just 28 batters — one over the minimum — taking a perfect game into the ninth inning.
Rodon hit the second batter of the inning, Indians catcher Roberto Perez, on a 1-2 pitch, taking a bit of the drama out of it but most definitely making everyone relax a little before he completed the no-hitter.
Or so it seemed to anyone but a White Sox fan.
Even though he struck out the fewest batters of any no-hitter thrown this year, Rodon’s performance seemed pretty dominating throught the rather anti-climactic game.
Possibly the biggest achievement — ahem, aside from that no-hitter thing — was remaining ready to go after the White Sox stung the Indians for six runs in the first inning, hitting around in the process.
The achievement was the White Sox’s 20th no-hitter of all time but only the club’s first one since … August.
OK, they’re pretty good.
Carlos Rodon no-hitter video highlights
2021 No. 3 ranked no-hitter: Corey Kluber vs. Texas Rangers, May 19
Our most recent no-hitter is also our best one thrown during the month of May: Corey Kluber’s performance against the Texas Rangers.
There are statistical reasons it was great. Naturally.
But there’s also a bit of magic in the air that just elevates it all the further: it was Corey Kluber bobblehead night in Texas.
That’s because, as Texas Rangers site Nolan Writin’ proclaimed, the Rangers were no-hit by a player who threw one inning for them in 2020.
He was acquired before the 2020 season in a trade, causing much excitement until COVID nearly wiped out the baseball season and definitely wiped out fans attending games and going home with bobbleheads.
Kluber’s own season was wiped out after one inning in 2020 due to injury, then he left for the Yankees.
This is the kind of poetry that only baseball can write.
With a little defensive help Kluber cruised against the Rangers on May 19, recording nine strikeouts against one walk and falling just short of a Maddux by finishing the task in 101 pitches.
Only a walk by the Rangers’ Charlie Culberson in the third inning separated this from a perfect game.
Oh, and the 2-0 score made this the closest of the no-hitters thrown (so far). Kluber’s WPA was .615.
Corey Kluber no-hitter video highlights
2021 No. 2 ranked no-hitter: Joe Musgrove vs. Texas Rangers, April 9
How young we were! Such summer children. When Joe Musgrove threw a no-hitter against the Rangers on April 9, we had no idea what was to come.
What came was five (ahem, actually six) no-hitters over the next six weeks.
Musgrove got us started strong. His game score of 97 ranks as the second-best in this exercise.
He struck out 10. He didn’t walk any. He needed 109 pitches. He was pretty good.
Musgrove went just one batter over the minimum, hitting Joey Gallo in the fourth inning before getting the next 16 batters out to end the game.
Like Miley, Musgrove didn’t have a cakewalk. The Padres won 3-0, though it was a little less stressful. Per FanGraphs his WPA was .463. A lot. But not a LOT.
There is naturally one piece of this game appealing to a true aesthete: it was a little extra historic.
The Padres were the last franchise in MLB without a no-hitter entering this year. Musgrove closed the books on the stat, and it will remain closed forever, or until MLB expands to Portland.
Joe Musgrove no-hitter video highlights
2021 No. 1 ranked no-hitter: John Means vs. Seattle Mariners, May 5
John Means threw MLB’s best no-hitter (so far) of 2021 on May 5 against the Seattle Mariners. And what a performance it was.
The Baltimore Orioles starter carved up the Mariners, facing the minimum possible 27 batters.
It wasn’t a perfect game — but you can’t really blame Means for that one. Sam Haggerty reached first base on a strikeout after O’s catcher Pedro Severino couldn’t field the ball cleanly in the third inning.
Getting a bit greedy, Haggerty attempted to steal second and Severino got a little revenge by throwing him out.
After that, Means sent the next 19 Mariners batters back to the dugout unsuccessful.
For the game, he struck out 12 and walked none. His game score came in a crisp 99, the highest since 29 pitchers eclipsed the 100 marker in 2019.
So, that’s really, really good.
It put him in elite company in the Orioles franchise as well. The club’s last no-hitter was thrown by Jim Palmer in 1969.
John Means no-hitter video highlights
—
All no-hitters are great. When you hear a no-hitter alert, you go to your nearest television and try to find the game.
One, six, seven, it doesn’t matter.
Each of them is wonderful in their own special way, and meaningful to their fan bases. If you want to rank your own team’s performance No. 1, you’ll find no complaint here. That’s what makes baseball great.
Five most surprising pitchers of 2021. dark. Next
But, just for the record, Means had the No. 1 best no-hitter of 2021 (so far) and that’s not changing any time soon.
Still, you might want to check back tomorrow, just in case.