Best Plays to Clinch No-Hit Games

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Jordan Zimmerman notched his first career no-hitter on Sunday thanks to a great catch (5:00 mark) by left-fielder Steven Souza to end the game.

With boxscores courtesy of baseball-reference.com and video from mlb.com, here’s a sampling of other stellar plays on the final out of a no-hitter.

Francisco Liriano – 2011-05-03. Slicing liner caught by shortstop Matt Tolbert.

Chris Bosio –1993-04-22. Bare-handed play by shortstop Omar Vizquel.

Terry Mulholland – 1990-08-15. Line drive snared by third baseman Charlie Hayes.

Juan Nieves – 1987-04-15. Diving catch by center-fielder Robin Yount.

John Candelaria – 1976-08-09. Catch after long run (and avoiding collision) by center-fielder Al Oliver.

Rick Wise – 1971-06-23. Sinking line drive caught by third baseman John Vukovich.

Worst broadcaster call of a no-hitter has to be on the Mulholland game.

Any others you recall?

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10 years ago

Pence’s catch wasn’t the final out of the game

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Thanks CM,

I’ll amend the list.

Steve

10 years ago

I’ve always been partial to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsRRq3WKg1w #7 The Mick

Steve

10 years ago

Reply to Steve

Granted it was not a game ender

David Horwich

10 years ago

The last out of Matt Cain’s perfect game in 2012 wasn’t an easy play:

http://m.mlb.com/video/v22275431/must-c-classic-matt-cain-finishes-perfect-game

although the best play of that game was undoubtedly Blanco’s catch in the 7th:

http://m.mlb.com/video/v22275319/must-c-catch-blancos-great-grab-preserves-perfecto/

Luis Gomez

10 years ago

Reply to David Horwich

The 26th out in Jonathan Sanchez´s no hitter was a tremendous play in center field, against Adrian´s big brother, Edgar Gonzalez. Here´s the link (2:00).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9xyrY8z8hE

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Nice compilation, Doug!

I can’t recall any other great plays ending no-hitters. Dewayne Wise’s catch was only the 1st out of the 9th in Buehrle’s perfecto, but surely one of the best defensive plays in any no-hitter, especially since he had just entered the game for defense:
http://m.mlb.com/video/v5699065/tbcws-wises-homerrobbing-grab-preserves-perfecto

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

I think Souza’s and Yount’s catches are the best of the lot. Based on the game score (1-0 vs 7-0), I’ll give the edge to Souza.

Of course, there’s probably others, but I just didn’t find the right words to search for them in the video archive.

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

On a tangent … I always dig seeing how skinny so many guys were in the ’70s, and the different swings they had. Here (at 0:38) is Amos Otis, flying out to the RF wall for the last out of Ryan’s first no-hitter, May 15, 1973: http://m.mlb.com/video/v4640859/mlb-network-remembers-may-1973-ryans-nohitter Otis hit a career-high 26 HRs that year, and batted .300 … with 47 strikeouts. Look at that swing. It’s powerful, but quick and controlled. P.S. If you haven’t seen the film of Norm Cash stepping in with a table leg instead of a bat, just before he popped out to end Ryan’s… Read more »

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Otis was the poster boy for the Charlie Lau school of hitting, with a stance featuring the bat extended parallel to the ground. That was what Lau preached – to hit the ball squarely, the bat should be level and should stay that way as long as possible though the hitting zone. Musial had that type of swing – short, fast and level.

10 years ago

Maybe I’m biased being a Phillies fan, but my favorite is the play at the end of Halladay’s playoff no-hitter where Ruiz has to get out in front of the plate to get to the ball and throw a man out at first
http://m.mlb.com/video/v12756599/cinphi-gm-1-halladays-historic-27-up-and-27-down

Voomo Zanzibar

10 years ago

Reply to wx

That came within an inch of the no-hitter ending by equipment interference
(bat in fair territory hitting the batted ball)

10 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

I think the ball did actually touch the bat, but as far as I can tell the rulebook is OK with that. Rule 6.05 (h):

“…If the batter-runner drops his bat and the ball rolls against the bat in fair territory and, in the umpire’s judgment, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball, the ball is alive and in play.”

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Reply to wx

Funny — whoever named the URL of that Halladay video must have confused it with his perfect game. (I’d rather believe that, than that the person doesn’t know the difference.)

James Braswell

10 years ago

I think Walt “Moose Moryn’s catch in left field just before it hit the grass to preserve Don Cardwell’s no-hitter in 1960 is awesome. It was the last out of the game, and Jack Brickhouse TV call was great!

10 years ago

Reply to James Braswell

Here’s the play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyIu7UGbKR0#t=818

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Reply to RJ

RJ, good find — but how did you create that URL that starts the clip at a particular time?

Voomo Zanzibar

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

To create a customized link on youtube with a specific start time:

Directly under the video click “Share”

A box will appear with a custom link.
To the right of that is a little box that says “Start at”

Click that and insert the time.
Or just pause the video where you want, and the time will select automatically.

Author

Doug

10 years ago

Reply to John Autin

If, like me, it did not start part way through for you, you can fast forward to the 13:30 mark (especially if you’d prefer not to see Stan Musial flailing with a long, loopy swing that looks nothing like the short, savage stroke of his younger days). The announcer alluded to the fact that this was Don Cardwell’s first game with the Cubs after a trade from Philadelphia (who acquired a young Tony Taylor in the deal). Any other no-hitters in the first game with a new club? Cardwell is one of a handful of starting pitchers with 100 games… Read more »

10 years ago

Reply to Doug

The announcer in the Chris Bosio game in your post mentions that it is his first win for Seattle… but it was his fourth game for the club.

Editor

John Autin

10 years ago

Reply to Doug

Two other no-hitters in first game with club (since 1914):
— Wilson Alvarez, 1991, White Sox
— Hideo Nomo, 2001, Red Sox

Alvarez had only pitched once before in the majors, a 1989 start for Texas at age 19, without retiring a batter.

Bobo Holloman tossed a no-no in his first MLB start, but he had relieved four times before that.

Richard Chester

10 years ago

Reply to Doug

Tex Carleton pitched a no-hitter in his second game with the Dodgers, 4-30-1940.

Editor

birtelcom

10 years ago

Reply to Doug

Mark Langston’s first start for the Angels after signing a big free agent contract (or so it seemed at the time) came against his former team, the Mariners. Langston pitched 7 no-hit innings and was then relieved (apparently at Langston’s request) by Mike Witt, who pitched two hitless innings to complete the joint no-no.

no statistician but

10 years ago

Reply to James Braswell

My father attended that game on some kind of a business outing. I don’t remember him mentioning Moryn’s catch, though. Here’s just a general comment: Moose Moryn wasn’t regarded as any great whiz as a fielder, about average, probably, but he was capable of making a great play. We tend to forget sometimes how the skill level gets higher and higher generally as a player advances to the majors, so that even a guy viewed as ordinary with a bat or a glove has extraordinary talent compared to you or me. I’ve mentioned this here once before, but about 1961… Read more »

no statistician but

10 years ago

Reply to no statistician but

Oops. That’s Kuenn. Sorry. Harvey.

Luis Gomez

10 years ago

Ha! The broadcaster in Mulholland´s no-no reminds me of the character in the movie Major League, that when Bob Uecker (Harry Doyle?) is drunk and passes out, takes on the broadcast.
“Fly ball… caught”

Sid Lipskar

10 years ago

Good article, thanks.