What's the Big Deal with a "No Hitter"
What it Means for One Pitcher to Not Allow a Hit
A couple weeks ago Red Sox rookie Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter. "That guy" wonders aloud what the big deal is - "I saw someone hit the ball."
They didn't hit safely.
"So it was a perfect game."
No, because there was an error and a man reached.
"So what's the big deal? When a player in the field commits an error, the game isn't perfect, so why does the pitcher get credit for it when it's the people in the field who make the plays?"
Because the pitcher is in control of the game. They take the blame when someone doesn't make the plays.
"That doesn't make sense..."
Look. There have been 301 no hitters since 1876 of which 34 were combined (more than 1 pitcher) and 7 of those were broken up in the 10th inning. Of those 301, 10 were broken up in extra innings, 9 were called after 5 innings, 8 after 6, 6 after 7 innings, 1 after 8. 73 of those 301 (just over 24%) were something less than 1 pitcher pitching a true no hitter. In those numbers include perfect games called after 5 innings, 7 innings, combined no hitters.
Placing a no hitter in context = 228 (of which 14 have been perfect games) have consisted of 1 pitcher going 9 innings in 131 years of baseball.
Yeah, that's a big deal.
"But they hit the ball"
Okay, okay. Well, Roger Clemens struck out 20 a couple of times. Those weren't no hitters, though. Kerry Wood did it too. Tom Cheney struck out 21 in 16 - 16!!! - innings, but again not a no hitter. So, yeah, striking out 20 in a game is a bit more impressive than a no hitter. Only really been done three times.
"So what's the big deal with a perfect game? You still need players in the field to make the plays...If 20 strike outs is the record, then it's not really a perfect game is it?"
So, since a truly perfect game - A pitcher striking out 27 batters on 81 pitches has never happened, and likely never will - we will doubtlessly continue to go around and around...
Published by Mo Morrissey
Mo has a lifetime of experience as a suffering Red Sox fan, but is a general jack of all trades. View profile
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- Since 1876, there have been 301 no hitters thrown in professional baseball
- 73 of those were "combined" no hitters - more than one pitcher limiting an opposing team to no hits
- 228 of those 301 have been one pitcher going the distance without allowing a hit
2 Comments
Post a Comment"A pitcher striking out 27 batters on 81 pitches" would be the most perfect of perfect. Did you say "Roger Clemens"? Scoundrel. Speak his name with reverence.
I sometimes feel like I'm spouting off at the mouth when I'm trying to explain the nuances of baseball to people that either don't already understand enough of the game to pick up the nuances, or never will because they don't grasp concepts well.
Good post Mo!