Best Plays to Clinch No-Hit Games

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 Liriano2011-05-03. Slicing liner caught by shortstop Matt Tolbert.

Chris Bosio1993-04-22. Bare-handed play by shortstop Omar Vizquel.

Terry Mulholland1990-08-15. Line drive snared by third baseman Charlie Hayes.

Juan Nieves1987-04-15. Diving catch by center-fielder Robin Yount.

John Candelaria1976-08-09. Catch after long run (and avoiding collision) by center-fielder Al Oliver.

Rick Wise1971-06-23. 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?

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

27 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
CM
CM
9 years ago

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

Steve
Steve
9 years ago

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

Steve
Steve
9 years ago
Reply to  Steve

Granted it was not a game ender

David Horwich
David Horwich
9 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
Luis Gomez
9 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

John Autin
Editor
9 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

John Autin
Editor
9 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 »

wx
wx
9 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
Voomo Zanzibar
9 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)

RJ
RJ
9 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.”

John Autin
Editor
9 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
James Braswell
9 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!

RJ
RJ
9 years ago
Reply to  James Braswell
John Autin
Editor
9 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
Voomo Zanzibar
9 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.

RJ
RJ
9 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.

John Autin
Editor
9 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
Richard Chester
9 years ago
Reply to  Doug

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

birtelcom
Editor
9 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
no statistician but
9 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
no statistician but
9 years ago

Oops. That’s Kuenn. Sorry. Harvey.

Luis Gomez
Luis Gomez
9 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
9 years ago

Good article, thanks.