In the history of Major League Baseball, pitchers have accomplished the incredible feat of throwing a no hitter, a game in which the pitcher does not allow the opposing team to record a single hit, on over 300 occasions. It is one of the most celebrated accomplishments a pitcher can achieve in their career. But among the hundreds of no hitters recorded, some pitchers have risen above the rest in attaining this elusive milestone multiple times. So who are the elite few that have thrown the most no hitters in MLB history?
The Multiple No Hitter Club
Throwing a single no hitter is an achievement that less than 1% of pitchers ever manage. Throwing multiple no hitters is even more rare and impressive. Only a select group of pitchers have managed to throw more than one no hitter over their career. Here are the members of this exclusive club:
| Pitcher | Number of No Hitters |
|---|---|
| Nolan Ryan | 7 |
| Sandy Koufax | 4 |
| Bob Feller | 3 |
| Larry Corcoran | 3 |
| Cy Young | 3 |
| Justin Verlander | 3 |
| 8 pitchers tied with | 2 |
As the table shows, only a handful of pitchers have managed to throw more than two no hitters in their careers. The leader by far is Nolan Ryan, who incredibly threw a record seven no hitters over his 27 year career. But what led certain pitchers like Ryan to have such success in throwing multiple no hitters?
Keys to Multiple No Hitters
Pitching a no hitter requires not only great skill, but also quite a bit of luck. So for a pitcher to throw several over their career, they need a combination of talent, longevity, and fortune on their side. Here are some of the key factors that enabled pitchers like Nolan Ryan to throw so many no hitters:
- Longevity – Throwing no hitters takes time. Pitchers need long careers spanning many seasons to rack up multiple no hitters. Nolan Ryan pitched a record 27 MLB seasons, giving him many chances to throw no nos.
- Durability – Pitching a full no hitter requires throwing at least 9 innings and 120+ pitches for most pitchers. Those that can handle heavy workloads tend to throw more no hitters.
- Power pitching – Overpowering stuff like high velocity fastballs and big breaking balls make it harder for batters to get hits. Most multi-no hitter pitchers like Ryan and Koufax threw heat.
- Control – Not walking batters is key. The best no hitter pitchers limited free passes. Ryan and Koufax for example both had low BB/9 rates.
- Amazing skill – Plain and simple, throwing multiple no hitters requires rare pitching dominance. These pitchers were among the most talented ever.
- Luck – Despite all skill involved, fortune plays a role too. Bloopers fall in for hits sometimes. Luck has to be on your side a bit.
It took the perfect combination of these traits for pitchers to reach rarefied air of throwing several no hitters. Nolan Ryan for instance had the longevity, power arm and skill to dominate, plus the luck and health to make it happen multiple times.
Spotlight: Nolan Ryan’s Seven No Hitters
Nolan Ryan blew away the previous record for most no hitters when got his seventh in 1991. Here is a quick overview of each of Ryan’s no hit masterpieces:
No Hitter #1 – May 15, 1973
In Ryan’s first no hitter with the Angels, he struck out 12 and walked 3 en route to the 3-0 victory over the Royals.
No Hitter #2 – July 15, 1973
Just two months after his first no no, Ryan no hit the Tigers while striking out 17 and walking 4 in a 6-0 win.
No Hitter #3 – September 28, 1974
Ryan held the Twins hitless with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks in a 4-0 victory for the Angels.
No Hitter #4 – June 1, 1975
Facing the Orioles, Ryan fanned 9 and walked 4 in tossing his first no hitter with the Angels on the road, winning 1-0.
No Hitter #5 – September 26, 1981
In his first no hitter with the Astros, Ryan struck out 11 Dodgers and walked 3 to secure a 5-0 win.
No Hitter #6 – June 11, 1990
At age 43, Ryan no hit the Athletics with 14 K’s and 2 walks in a 5-0 Houston road win.
No Hitter #7 – May 1, 1991
Ryan’s record-breaking 7th and final no hitter came against the Blue Jays. He struck out 16 and walked 2 in a 3-0 victory.
This overview gives a sample of just how dominant and consistent Ryan was in each of his no hitters spanning from 1973 to 1991. An incredible feat!
No Hitter Leaders by Franchise
While individuals like Nolan Ryan put up big no hitter numbers, some MLB franchises have seen more no nos than others over the years. Here are the franchises with the most no hitters thrown by their pitchers:
| MLB Franchise | No Hitters Thrown |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 26 |
| Boston Red Sox | 19 |
| Chicago White Sox | 18 |
| San Francisco Giants | 17 |
| Chicago Cubs | 16 |
| Houston Astros | 13 |
| Cleveland Indians | 10 |
| Oakland Athletics | 10 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 10 |
The Dodgers have the most as a franchise largely thanks to Koufax. The AL teams with the most are the Red Sox and White Sox. Several original 16 franchises are at the top of the list. The Rockies and Marlins have never had a pitcher throw a no hitter for their franchise, not surprising given their short histories.
Conclusion
Throwing multiple no hitters puts pitchers in truly elite company. Out of thousands of pitchers across MLB history, only 11 have reached the milestone of throwing 3+ no hitters. Nolan Ryan stands alone at the top with 7 no nos, a testament to his longevity, power pitching dominance, and good fortune. For a pitcher to repeat such a difficult feat multiple times requires an incredibly rare combination of skill, endurance, and luck. Their names go down in history for achieving one of baseball’s rarest accomplishments.