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List of San Francisco Giants no-hitters

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File:Tim Lincecum 2009.jpg

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball franchise based in San Francisco, California. They play in the National League West division. Also known in their early years as the "New York Gothams" (1883–84) and "New York Giants" (1885–1957),{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/|title=San Francisco Giants Team History & Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}} pitchers for the Giants have thrown 18 no-hitters in franchise history.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/history/teams?team=SFO|title=San Francisco Giants Franchise History|publisher=ESPN|access-date=June 14, 2012}} A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only "when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings", although one or more batters "may reach base via a walk, an error, a hit by pitch, a passed ball or wild pitch on strike three, or catcher's interference."{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb/rules_regulations.jsp|title=MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics |work=MLB.com|access-date=September 4, 2018}} No-hitters of less than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 changed the rule to its current form.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=3465888|title=No-hit win makes no sense, except in baseball|last=Kurkjian|first=Tim|date=June 29, 2008|publisher=ESPN|access-date=November 17, 2010}} A no-hitter is rare enough that teams may go decades without recording one. A perfect game, a special subcategory of no-hitter, was finally thrown by Matt Cain on June 13, 2012. As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game." Previously, this feat came closest on July 4, 1908 when Hooks Wiltse was hit by a pitch with two outs in the ninth and a scoreless tie. The plate umpire, Cy Rigler, claimed he should have called the previous pitch strike three, that would have ended the inning with a perfection. Wiltse would go on to retire all three in the tenth to end the game after the Giants scored a run in the top of the tenth.

Amos Rusie threw the first no-hitter in Giants history on July 31, 1891; the most recent no-hitter was thrown by Blake Snell on August 2, 2024. Six left-handed pitchers have thrown no-hitters in franchise history, including the most recent no-hitter author, Snell. The other ten pitchers were right-handers. Tim Lincecum and Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson are the only pitchers to throw more than one no-hitter in a Giants uniform. Ten no-hitters were thrown at home and seven on the road. The Giants threw one in April, two in May, five in June, five in July, one in August, and three in September. The longest interval between no-hitters was between the games pitched by Hubbell and Juan Marichal, encompassing 34 years, 1 month, and 7 days from May 8, 1929 till June 15, 1963. Conversely, the shortest interval between no-hitters was between the two games pitched by Lincecum, a period of 347 days.{{#tag:ref|Heston's no-hitter came 349 days after Lincecum's second no-hitter.|group="notes"}} The Giants have no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres the most, doing so three times each—Wiltse in 1908; Jeff Tesreau in 1912; Jesse Barnes in 1922; Jonathan Sánchez in 2009; and Tim Lincecum in 2013 and 2014. Every Giants no-hitter has been a shutout (which is likely, but not a given, considering baserunners can reach, advance, and score by methods other than hits). The most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter was five, which occurred in Lincecum's first no-hitter. Of the 18 no-hitters, four have been won by a score of 1–0, more common than any other result. Those 1–0 no-hitters were attained by Christy Mathewson in 1905, Wiltse in 1908, Juan Marichal in 1963, and Gaylord Perry in 1968. The largest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter was an 11–0 win by Carl Hubbell in 1929. Matt Cain is tied with Sandy Koufax for the most strikeouts in a perfect no-hitter with 14.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/45135/matt-cains-perfect-game-best-ever|title=Matt Cain's perfect game: Best ever?|publisher=ESPN|access-date=June 14, 2012}}

The umpire is also an integral part of any no-hitter. The task of the umpire in a baseball game is to make any decision "which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out… [the umpire's judgment on such matters] is final."{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/rules_interest.jsp|title=Umpires: Rules of Interest|work=MLB.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}} Part of the duties of the umpire making calls at home plate includes defining the strike zone, which "is defined as that area over homeplate (sic) the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap." These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.{{cite book| title = Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter's Box, Pgs 98–99 | last=Bronson | first=Eric | year=2004 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zc11bf7iopcC&q=%22Wes+Curry%22+baseball&pg=PA98 | access-date = November 17, 2010 |isbn=0-8126-9556-9}} 17 different umpires presided over each of the franchise's 18 no-hitters.

The manager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager include determining the starting rotation, the batting order and defensive lineup in every game, and how long a pitcher stays in the game. There have been nine different managers in the franchise's 18 no-hitters.

No-hitters

class="wikitable" border="1"
bgcolor="#ffffbb"|  ¶ 

| Indicates a perfect game

 £ 

| Pitcher was left-handed

 * 

| Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" border="1"
style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|#

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Date

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Pitcher

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Final score

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Base-
runners

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Opponent

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Catcher

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Plate umpire

!style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"|Manager

!class="unsortable" style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"| Notes

!class="unsortable" style="{{Baseball primary style|San Francisco Giants|border=2}}"| Ref

1

| {{dts|July 31, 1891}}

| {{sortname|Amos|Rusie}}*

| {{nts|6}}–0

| 1

| Brooklyn Grooms

| {{sortname|Artie|Clarke}}

| {{sortname|Phil|Powers}}

| {{sortname|James|Mutrie}}

|align="left"|

  • First no-hitter in franchise history
  • First Giants no-hitter at home
  • First right-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1889-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1889 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

2

| {{dts|July 15, 1901}}

| {{sortname|Christy|Mathewson}}* {{small|(1)}}

| {{nts|5}}–0

| 2

| @ St. Louis Cardinals

| {{sortname|Jack|Warner|Jack Warner (catcher)}}

| {{sortname|Frank|Dwyer}}

| {{sortname|George|Davis|George Davis (baseball)}}

|align="left"|

  • First Giants no-hitter on the road

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1901-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1901 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

3

| {{dts|June 13, 1905}}

| {{sortname|Christy|Mathewson}}* {{small|(2)}}

| {{nts|1}}–0

| 2

| @ Chicago Cubs

| {{sortname|Roger|Bresnahan}} {{small|(1)}}

| {{sortname|George|Bausewine}}

| {{sortname|John|McGraw}} {{small|(1)}}

|align="left"|

  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1905-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1905 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

4

| {{dts|July 4, 1908}}

| {{sortname|Hooks|Wiltse}}{{sup|£}}

| {{nts|1}}–0 {{small|(10)}}

| 1

| Philadelphia Phillies

| {{sortname|Roger|Bresnahan}} {{small|(2)}}

| {{sortname|Cy|Rigler}} {{small|(1)}}

| {{sortname|John|McGraw}} {{small|(2)}}

|align="left"|

  • Only baserunner was hit by pitch with two outs in the ninth
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)
  • First left-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
  • First extra-inning no-hitter in franchise history and second in MLB history

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1908-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1908 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

5

| {{dts|September 6, 1912}}

| {{sortname|Jeff|Tesreau}}

| {{nts|3}}–0

| 3

| @ Philadelphia Phillies

| {{sortname|Chief|Meyers}} {{small|(1)}}

| {{sortname|Bill|Klem}}

| {{sortname|John|McGraw}} {{small|(3)}}

|align="left"|

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1912-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1912 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

6

| {{dts|April 15, 1915}}

| {{sortname|Rube|Marquard}}{{sup|£}}

| {{nts|2}}–0

| 4

| Brooklyn Robins

| {{sortname|Chief|Meyers}} {{small|(2)}}

| {{sortname|Cy|Rigler}} {{small|(2)}}

| {{sortname|John|McGraw}} {{small|(4)}}

|align="left"|

  • Game 2 of season
  • Earliest calendar date of Giants no-hitter

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1915-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1915 Giants season schedule, box scores, and splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

7

| {{dts|May 7, 1922}}

| {{sortname|Jesse|Barnes}}

| {{nts|6}}–0

| 1

| Philadelphia Phillies

| {{sortname|Earl|Smith|Earl Smith (catcher)}}

| {{sortname|Bob|Hart|Bob Hart (umpire)}}

| {{sortname|John|McGraw}} {{small|(5)}}

|align="left"|

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1192205070.shtml|title=May 7, 1922 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

8

| {{dts|May 8, 1929}}

| {{sortname|Carl|Hubbell}}{{sup|£}}*

| {{nts|11}}–0

| 1

| Pittsburgh Pirates

| {{sortname|Bob|O'Farrell}}

| {{sortname|Charlie|Moran}}

| {{sortname|John|McGraw}} {{small|(6)}}

| align="left"|

  • Largest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter
  • Last no-hitter before moving to San Francisco

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1192905080.shtml|title=May 8, 1929 Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

9

| {{dts|June 15, 1963}}

| {{sortname|Juan|Marichal}}*

| {{nts|1}}–0

| 2

| Houston Colt .45s

| {{sortname|Ed|Bailey}}

| {{sortname|Ed|Sudol}}

| {{sortname|Al|Dark}}

| align="left"|

  • First no-hitter since moving to San Francisco
  • Longest interval between no-hitters in franchise history
  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196306150.shtml|title=June 15, 1963 Houston Colts .45's at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

10

| {{dts|September 17, 1968}}

| {{sortname|Gaylord|Perry}}*

| {{nts|1}}–0

| 2

| St. Louis Cardinals

| {{sortname|Dick|Dietz}}

| {{sortname|Harry|Wendelstedt}}

| {{sortname|Herman|Franks}}

| align="left"|

  • Smallest margin of victory in a Giants no-hitter (tie)
  • The next day at the same park, the Cardinals' Ray Washburn no-hit the Giants

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196809170.shtml|title=September 17, 1968 St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

11

| {{dts|August 24, 1975}}

| {{sortname|Ed|Halicki}}

| {{nts|6}}–0

| 2

| New York Mets

| {{sortname|Dave|Rader|Dave Rader (baseball)}}

| {{sortname|Bruce|Froemming}}

| {{sortname|Wes|Westrum}}

| align="left"|

  • Second game of a doubleheader
  • Last no-hitter by a Giants pitcher at Candlestick Park

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN197508242.shtml|title=August 24, 1975 New York Mets at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

12

| {{dts|September 29, 1976}}

| {{sortname|John|Montefusco}}

| {{nts|9}}–0

| 1

| @ Atlanta Braves

| {{sortname|Gary|Alexander|Gary Alexander (baseball)}}

| {{sortname|Paul|Pryor}}

| {{sortname|Bill|Rigney}}

| align="left"|

  • Latest calendar date of Giants no-hitter

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL197609290.shtml|title=September 29, 1976 San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

13

| {{dts|July 10, 2009}}

| {{sortname|Jonathan|Sánchez}}{{sup|£}}

| {{nts|8}}–0

| 1

| San Diego Padres

| {{sortname|Eli|Whiteside}}

| {{sortname|Brian|Runge}}

| {{sortname|Bruce|Bochy}} {{small|(1)}}

| align="left"|

  • First no-hitter at AT&T Park
  • First no-hitter by a left-handed Giants pitcher in 80 years
  • Only baserunner was reached on error with one out in the eighth

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN200907100.shtml|title=July 10, 2009 San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}

bgcolor="#ffffbb"

| 14

| {{dts|June 13, 2012}}

| {{sortname|Matt|Cain}}{{sup|¶}}

| {{nts|10}}–0

| 0

| Houston Astros

| {{sortname|Buster|Posey}} {{small|(1)}}

| {{sortname|Ted|Barrett}}

| {{sortname|Bruce|Bochy}} {{small|(2)}}

| align="left"|

  • First perfect game in Giants franchise history

| {{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201206130.shtml|title=June 13, 2012 Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 6, 2013}}

15

| {{dts|July 13, 2013}}

| {{sortname|Tim|Lincecum}} {{small|(1)}}

| {{nts|9}}–0

| 5

| @ San Diego Padres

| {{sortname|Buster|Posey}} {{small|(2)}}

| {{sortname|Mark|Wegner}}

| {{sortname|Bruce|Bochy}} {{small|(3)}}

| align="left"|

  • First no-hitter thrown in San Diego's Petco Park
  • Most baserunners allowed in a Giants no-hitter

|{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN201307130.shtml|title=July 13, 2013 San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 6, 2013}}

16

| {{dts|June 25, 2014}}

| {{sortname|Tim|Lincecum}} {{small|(2)}}

| {{nts|4}}–0

| 1

| San Diego Padres

| {{sortname|Héctor|Sánchez|dab=baseball}}

| {{sortname|Adam|Hamari}}

| {{sortname|Bruce|Bochy}} {{small|(4)}}

| align="left"|

  • Shortest interval between no-hitters in franchise history
  • Second pitcher to no-hit the same team twice

|{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201406250.shtml|title=June 25, 2014 San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=June 26, 2014}}

17

| {{dts|June 9, 2015}}

| {{sortname|Chris|Heston}}

| {{nts|5}}–0

| 3

| @ New York Mets

| {{sortname|Buster|Posey}} {{small|(3)}}

| {{sortname|Rob|Drake}} {{small|(2)}}

| {{sortname|Bruce|Bochy}} {{small|(5)}}

| align="left"|

|{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201506090.shtml|title=June 9, 2015 San Francisco Giants at New York Mets Box Score and Play by Play|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=June 10, 2015}}

18

| {{dts|August 2, 2024}}

| {{sortname|Blake|Snell}}{{sup|£}}

| {{nts|3}}–0

| 3

| @ Cincinnati Reds

| {{sortname|Patrick|Bailey}}

| sortname|Malachi Moore

| {{sortname|Bob|Melvin}}

| align="left"|

  • Most recent Giants no-hitter
  • First complete game in Snell's career

|

Notes

{{reflist|group=notes}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070427130818/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/history/rare_feats.jsp Giants Rare Feats] at MLB.com

{{Lists of no-hitters by franchise}}

{{San Francisco Giants}}

No hitters

San Francisco Giants