Rookie no-hitters[
Twenty-five MLB rookies have pitched a no-hitter since 1901. Four pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in their first major league start; two others have done it in their second major league starts.
[22]
Bumpus Jones of the
Cincinnati Reds threw a no-hitter on October 15, 1892, in his first major league game. Jones pitched only eight games in the big leagues, finishing with a career win–loss record of 2–4 and a career
earned run average of 7.99.
Ted Breitenstein pitched a no-hitter in his first major league start on October 4, 1891; however, it was not his first major league game.
[23] He later threw a second no-hitter on April 22, 1898.
On May 6, 1953,
Bobo Holloman pitched a no-hitter for the
St. Louis Browns in his first major league start (also not his first major league game). This game would prove to be one of only three major league wins that Holloman achieved, against seven losses, all in 1953.
Bill Veeck, then-owner of the Browns, in his autobiography described the 27 outs of Holloman's no-hitter as consisting of hard-hit ground balls, screaming line drives, and deep fly balls.
On August 14, 2021,
Tyler Gilbert of the
Arizona Diamondbacks pitched a no-hitter against the
San Diego Padres in his first major league start and fourth appearance. His first major league game came just 11 days before his no-hitter.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are nine
300-game winners—
Grover Cleveland Alexander,
Kid Nichols,
Lefty Grove,
Early Wynn,
Steve Carlton,
Don Sutton,
Greg Maddux,
Roger Clemens and
Tom Glavine—who failed to pitch a no-hitter.
On August 11, 1991,
Wilson Álvarez of the
Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter in his second career major league start. During Alvarez's first career start, he had allowed three runs on a pair of home runs and did not retire a single batter. Unlike Jones and Holloman, Alvarez went on to win 102 games over a 16-year career.
Clay Buchholz pitched a no-hitter for the
Boston Red Sox in his second major league start on September 1, 2007, at Fenway Park. The game ended in a 10–0 victory for the Red Sox over the
Baltimore Orioles.