Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Tyler Anderson came within a couple of outs of joining an elite fraternity. Since its inception more than a century ago, only 25 men can claim to have been part of a Dodger no-hitter (and four of those guys pitched the same game). Let’s take a look at some of the highlights among this rarefied group.
Brooklyn Days — 13 no-hitters
Before the Dodgers made the move to Los Angeles in the late 50s, there were 13 no-hitters in Brooklyn team history. The story is a little hazy back in the 19th century, as there were several baseball clubs representing Brooklyn at the time. There was a pitcher named Sam Kimber who threw a no-no for the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1884, and another named Adonis Terry who had two no-hitters in the 1880s, but these were before the franchise’s officially recognized founding in 1890.
The first no-hitter that MLB recognizes for the franchise is that of Tom Lovett in 1891, pitching for what at the time was known as the Brooklyn Grooms. And wouldn’t you know it, the first official no-hitter in team history was against the rival Giants. Other notable no hitters from the Brooklyn days include one by Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance in 1925 (they were known as the Brooklyn Robins at the time) and two from Carl Erskine, one of the mainstays of the pitching staff during Brooklyn’s glory days in the 1950s.
The last Brooklyn Dodger no-hitter was by Sal Maglie, who blanked the Philadelphia Phillies on September 25, 1956. And it a bit of bittersweet poetry that baseball is so good at, the final Brooklyn Dodger no-hitter took place at the iconic Ebbets Field, just a few months before the O’Malley family announced the team was headed for Los Angeles.
1960s — All about Koufax
Appropriately enough, the first no-hitter of the Los Angeles version of the team was thrown by none other than Dodger legend Sandy Koufax. He no-hit the newly formed (and hapless) New York Mets on June 30, 1962. Though he struggled a bit with control on that day, the Mets only hit five balls out of the infield as Koufax struck out 13 batters.
That would be the first of four no-hitters for Sandy, three of which were at Dodger Stadium. The final no-hitter for Koufax was his masterpiece: a perfect game. On September 9, 1965, Koufax was brilliant in a 1-0 victory over the Cubs. Koufax would strike out the final six batters on this day, giving him a total of 14 in the game.
70s and 80s: Few and far between
After Koufax retired, Dodger no-hitters became increasingly rare, basically one every ten years. Bill Singer, who spent eight years with the club, pitched one in 1970. Jerry Reuss, such a vital part of the Dodgers’ World Series teams in the late 70s and early 80s, pitched one of his own in 1980. But that was it. Twenty years and only two no-hitters. But it makes sense, though the Dodgers had great pitchers during this period, they didn’t have anybody like a Nolan Ryan who was busy racking up seven no-no’s with wipeout stuff. Still, you would have thought that maybe Sutton or Hershiser might have run into one back then, but it never happened.
1990’s: 4 magical nights
The 1990s started off with a bang in this category. Fernando Valenzuela, with the days of Fernandomania far behind him, threw a magnificent no-hitter on June 29, 1990. It was a quirk of history that this no-hitter also happened on the same day that a former Dodger, Dave Stewart, also threw a no-hitter in Toronto pitching for the A’s. Valenzuela struck out seven and walked only three in what would turn out to be his final start in a Dodger uniform. It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to a star that had meant so much to the team and its Latino fans. And, it was punctuated by that immortal Vin Scully line, “if you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!”
After Fernando’s gem, they came fast and furious, it seemed. Two years later, Kevin Gross no-hit the Giants. Three years after that, Ramon Martinez threw a no-no against the Marlins that was nearly a perfect game until a walk in the eighth.
And then, in perhaps the unlikeliest no-hitter of the bunch, Hideo Nomo threw a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies on September 17, 1996. Pitching after an hour rain delay, Nomo was brilliant, pitching from the stretch the entire game because of the field conditions. He struck out nine on that night, and even provided his own run support, driving in a run with a single in the eighth inning.
2014: Two in one season!
After Nomo’s masterpiece, there were no no-hitters for nearly twenty years. Then, in 2014, Dodger fans got to enjoy two in the same season. First, Veteran Josh Beckett shut down the Phillies to cap off a great career that included a World Series win with the Marlins and a ALCS MVP with the Red Sox. And on that night in May, Beckett showed he still had some fuel left in the tank. After struggling with injuries for most of his time with the Dodgers, Beckett struck out six and walked three in the 6-0 win.
Then, a couple of weeks later, Clayton Kershaw pitched one of the best games ever. In the midst of his historic run of greatness, Kershaw of simply overpowering in a game against the Colorado Rockies, striking out 15 batters and not issuing a walk. Kershaw was only the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter with at least 15 strikeouts. Nolan Ryan did it three times. Kershaw didn’t throw a ball to any of the final six batters he faced. It was simply awesome to behold.
2018: Combo platter in Mexico
The Dodgers’ final no-hitter so far was also one of the weirdest. The game was a regular season game, but was played in Mexico City to generate more international buzz for the sport. The Dodgers locked horns with the Padres on May 4, 2018. It was rookie Walker Buehler‘s third start of his career. And in a harbinger of things to come, he was awesome.
The righthanded flamethrower showed he belonged in the big leagues with this one, going six nearly flawless innings on a rainy night in Mexico. But as the Dodgers are fond of doing, Buehler was lifted from the game after 93 pitches. The combination of relievers Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia, and Adam Liberatore finished out the game, and each threw a hitless frame to finish out the no-no. Cool, but not nearly as cool if Buehler had done it on his own. I’m sure his time will come again sooner or later.
Anderson came close
Luckily, Tyler Anderson doesn’t have to sit up at night and think “what if?” It wasn’t a cheap hit or a little infield nubber that cost him the no-no. Shohei Ohtani‘s shot to right was an absolute rocket and Mookie Betts had no play on the ball, try as he might. It was a clean hit. The no-hitter was over. He will not be joining this handful of men who can say they have done what few can say. For one night anyway, they were unhittable.
