It is not often that a pitcher throws a no-hitter and loses. In fact, over the course of MLB history, there have only been five occasions where a team did not allow a hit and somehow managed to lose the game. That is, there were only five occasions where a team did not allow a hit and lost before the Cincinnati Reds made history on Sunday.
Hunter Greene and Art Warren combined to no-hit the Pirates on Sunday, something that would usually result in a victory. Instead, they will be a footnote in history, the sixth time that a team managed to no-hit the opponent and lost.
Cincinnati Reds make history in bizarre loss
Greene had his typical command issues, but was able to keep the Pirates off the board until the bottom of the eighth inning. After getting a grounder to first to begin the inning, he issued a pair of walks before being pulled from the game. As he had thrown 118 pitches when he was relieved, and there were already health concerns earlier in the year, it is fair to wonder what, exactly, Reds’ manager David Bell was thinking with that pitch count.
Warren did manage to get the final two outs of the inning, but not before the damage was done. He walked the first batter he faced, and then a Ke’Bryan Hayes fielder’s choice led to the Pirates’ only run of the contest. While he did get Bryan Reynolds to pop up to end the inning, the Reds were unable to answer in the top of the ninth, making them the sixth team to throw a no-hitter and lose.
To add insult to injury, this game will not be recognized as an official no-hitter. Because the Reds pitchers did not throw at least nine no-hit innings, it is just a statistical anomaly. Ken Johnson of the 1964 Colt .45s remains the first, and only, pitcher to have officially fired a no-hitter and lost.
The Cincinnati Reds found their way into the history books on Sunday. They managed to throw a combined no-hitter and still lose the game.