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List of San Francisco Giants no-hitters

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Tim Lincecum delivering a pitch from the mound for the San Francisco Giants
Tim Lincecum pitched two no-hitters for the Giants.

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball franchise based in San Francisco, California. They play in the National League West division. Also known in their early years as the "New York Gothams" (1883–84) and "New York Giants" (1885–1957),[1] pitchers for the Giants have thrown 18 no-hitters in franchise history.[2] A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only "when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings", although one or more batters "may reach base via a walk, an error, a hit by pitch, a passed ball or wild pitch on strike three, or catcher's interference."[3] No-hitters of less than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 changed the rule to its current form.[4] A no-hitter is rare enough that teams may go decades without recording one. A perfect game, a special subcategory of no-hitter, was finally thrown by Matt Cain on June 13, 2012. As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[3] Previously, this feat came closest on July 4, 1908 when Hooks Wiltse was hit by a pitch with two outs in the ninth and a scoreless tie. The plate umpire, Cy Rigler, claimed he should have called the previous pitch strike three, that would have ended the inning with a perfection. Wiltse would go on to retire all three in the tenth to end the game after the Giants scored a run in the top of the tenth.

Amos Rusie threw the first no-hitter in Giants history on July 31, 1891; the most recent no-hitter was thrown by Blake Snell on August 2, 2024. Six left-handed pitchers have thrown no-hitters in franchise history, including the most recent no-hitter author, Snell. The other ten pitchers were right-handers. Tim Lincecum and Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson are the only pitchers to throw more than one no-hitter in a Giants uniform. Ten no-hitters were thrown at home and seven on the road. The Giants threw one in April, two in May, five in June, five in July, one in August, and three in September. The longest interval between no-hitters was between the games pitched by Hubbell and Juan Marichal, encompassing 34 years, 1 month, and 7 days from May 8, 1929 till June 15, 1963. Conversely, the shortest interval between no-hitters was between the two games pitched by Lincecum, a period of 347 days.[notes 1] The Giants have no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres the most, doing so three times each—Wiltse in 1908; Jeff Tesreau in 1912; Jesse Barnes in 1922; Jonathan Sánchez in 2009; and Tim Lincecum in 2013 and 2014. Every Giants no-hitter has been a shutout (which is likely, but not a given, considering baserunners can reach, advance, and score by methods other than hits). The most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter was five, which occurred in Lincecum's first no-hitter. Of the 18 no-hitters, four have been won by a score of 1–0, more common than any other result. Those 1–0 no-hitters were attained by Christy Mathewson in 1905, Wiltse in 1908, Juan Marichal in 1963, and Gaylord Perry in 1968. The largest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter was an 11–0 win by Carl Hubbell in 1929. Matt Cain is tied with Sandy Koufax for the most strikeouts in a perfect no-hitter with 14.[5]

The umpire is also an integral part of any no-hitter. The task of the umpire in a baseball game is to make any decision "which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out… [the umpire's judgment on such matters] is final."[6] Part of the duties of the umpire making calls at home plate includes defining the strike zone, which "is defined as that area over homeplate (sic) the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap."[6] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.[7] 17 different umpires presided over each of the franchise's 18 no-hitters.

The manager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager include determining the starting rotation, the batting order and defensive lineup in every game, and how long a pitcher stays in the game. There have been nine different managers in the franchise's 18 no-hitters.

No-hitters

[edit]
 ¶  Indicates a perfect game
 £  Pitcher was left-handed
 *  Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
# Date Pitcher Final score Base-
runners
Opponent Catcher Plate umpire Manager Notes Ref
1 July 31, 1891 Amos Rusie* 6–0 1 Brooklyn Grooms Artie Clarke Phil Powers James Mutrie
  • First no-hitter in franchise history
  • First Giants no-hitter at home
  • First right-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
[8]
2 July 15, 1901 Christy Mathewson* (1) 5–0 2 @ St. Louis Cardinals Jack Warner Frank Dwyer George Davis
  • First Giants no-hitter on the road
[9]
3 June 13, 1905 Christy Mathewson* (2) 1–0 2 @ Chicago Cubs Roger Bresnahan (1) George Bausewine John McGraw (1)
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)
[10]
4 July 4, 1908 Hooks Wiltse£ 1–0 (10) 1 Philadelphia Phillies Roger Bresnahan (2) Cy Rigler (1) John McGraw (2)
  • Only baserunner was hit by pitch with two outs in the ninth
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)
  • First left-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
  • First extra-inning no-hitter in franchise history and second in MLB history
[11]
5 September 6, 1912 Jeff Tesreau 3–0 3 @ Philadelphia Phillies Chief Meyers (1) Bill Klem John McGraw (3) [12]
6 April 15, 1915 Rube Marquard£ 2–0 4 Brooklyn Robins Chief Meyers (2) Cy Rigler (2) John McGraw (4)
  • Game 2 of season
  • Earliest calendar date of Giants no-hitter
[13]
7 May 7, 1922 Jesse Barnes 6–0 1 Philadelphia Phillies Earl Smith Bob Hart John McGraw (5) [14]
8 May 8, 1929 Carl Hubbell£* 11–0 1 Pittsburgh Pirates Bob O'Farrell Charlie Moran John McGraw (6)
  • Largest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter
  • Last no-hitter before moving to San Francisco
[15]
9 June 15, 1963 Juan Marichal* 1–0 2 Houston Colt .45s Ed Bailey Ed Sudol Al Dark
  • First no-hitter since moving to San Francisco
  • Longest interval between no-hitters in franchise history
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)
[16]
10 September 17, 1968 Gaylord Perry* 1–0 2 St. Louis Cardinals Dick Dietz Harry Wendelstedt Herman Franks
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)
  • The next day at the same park, the Cardinals' Ray Washburn no-hit the Giants
[17]
11 August 24, 1975 Ed Halicki 6–0 2 New York Mets Dave Rader Bruce Froemming Wes Westrum
  • Second game of a doubleheader
  • Last no-hitter by a Giants pitcher at Candlestick Park
[18]
12 September 29, 1976 John Montefusco 9–0 1 @ Atlanta Braves Gary Alexander Paul Pryor Bill Rigney
  • Latest calendar date of Giants no-hitter
[19]
13 July 10, 2009 Jonathan Sánchez£ 8–0 1 San Diego Padres Eli Whiteside Brian Runge Bruce Bochy (1)
  • First no-hitter at AT&T Park
  • First no-hitter by a left-handed Giants pitcher in 80 years
  • Only baserunner was reached on error with one out in the eighth
[20]
14 June 13, 2012 Matt Cain 10–0 0 Houston Astros Buster Posey (1) Ted Barrett Bruce Bochy (2)
  • First perfect game in Giants franchise history
[21]
15 July 13, 2013 Tim Lincecum (1) 9–0 5 @ San Diego Padres Buster Posey (2) Mark Wegner Bruce Bochy (3)
  • First no-hitter thrown in San Diego's Petco Park
  • Most baserunners allowed in a Giants no-hitter
[22]
16 June 25, 2014 Tim Lincecum (2) 4–0 1 San Diego Padres Héctor Sánchez Adam Hamari Bruce Bochy (4)
  • Shortest interval between no-hitters in franchise history
  • Second pitcher to no-hit the same team twice
[23]
17 June 9, 2015 Chris Heston 5–0 3 @ New York Mets Buster Posey (3) Rob Drake (2) Bruce Bochy (5) [24]
18 August 2, 2024 Blake Snell£ 3–0 3 @ Cincinnati Reds Patrick Bailey Malachi Moore Bob Melvin
  • Most recent Giants no-hitter
  • First complete game in Snell's career

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Heston's no-hitter came 349 days after Lincecum's second no-hitter.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "San Francisco Giants Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  2. ^ "San Francisco Giants Franchise History". ESPN. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics". MLB.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  4. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (June 29, 2008). "No-hit win makes no sense, except in baseball". ESPN. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  5. ^ "Matt Cain's perfect game: Best ever?". ESPN. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Umpires: Rules of Interest". MLB.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  7. ^ Bronson, Eric (2004). Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter's Box, Pgs 98–99. ISBN 0-8126-9556-9. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  8. ^ "1889 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  9. ^ "1901 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  10. ^ "1905 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  11. ^ "1908 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  12. ^ "1912 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  13. ^ "1915 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  14. ^ "May 7, 1922 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  15. ^ "May 8, 1929 Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  16. ^ "June 15, 1963 Houston Colts .45's at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  17. ^ "September 17, 1968 St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  18. ^ "August 24, 1975 New York Mets at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  19. ^ "September 29, 1976 San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  20. ^ "July 10, 2009 San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  21. ^ "June 13, 2012 Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  22. ^ "July 13, 2013 San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  23. ^ "June 25, 2014 San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  24. ^ "June 9, 2015 San Francisco Giants at New York Mets Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
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