TheNew York Yankees are aMajor League Baseballfranchise based in theNew York Cityborough ofThe Bronx. Also known in their early years as the "Baltimore Orioles" (1901–02) and the "New York Highlanders" (1903–1912),[1] the Yankees have had twelve pitchers throw thirteenno-hitters infranchise history. 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. In a no-hit game, a batter may reach base via awalk, anerror, ahit by pitch, apassed ball orwild pitch on strike three, orcatcher's interference".[2] No-hitters of fewer 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.[3] Four perfect games, a special subcategory of no-hitter, have been pitched in Yankees history. As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[2] This feat was achieved byDon Larsen in 1956,David Wells in 1998,David Cone in 1999, andDomingo German in 2023. Wells later claimed he was a "littlehung-over" while throwinghis perfect game.[4]
George Mogridge threw the first no-hitter in Yankees history, beating their rivalBoston Red Sox 2–1, their only no-hitter in which the opposition scored. Their most recent no-hitter wasDomingo Germán's perfect game against theOakland Athletics during the 2023 season on June 28. The Yankees' first perfect game was also thrown by a right-handed pitcher, Don Larsen, and came in Game 5 of the1956 World Series.Larsen's perfect game was the only no-hitter inMLB postseason play untilRoy Halladay of thePhiladelphia Phillies pitched a no-hitter in Game 1 of the2010 National League Division Series. Coincidentally,David Cone's perfect game came on "Yogi Berra Day" at Yankee Stadium. Berra hadcaught Larsen's perfect game and both he and Larsen were in the stands for the game.[5] Of the twelve no-hitters pitched by Yankees players, three each have been won by the scores 4–0 and 2–0, more common than any other result. The largest margin of victory in a Yankees no-hitter was 13 runs in a 13–0 win byMonte Pearson. German's perfect game represented the second largest margin of victory in a Yankees no-hitter, as the Yankees defeated the Athletics 11–0 in the 24th perfect game in MLB history.
Andy Hawkins lost a game on July 1, 1990, while on the road against the Chicago White Sox by the score of 4–0 without allowing a hit.[6] Because the White Sox were winning entering the ninth inning at home, they did not bat, and thus Hawkins pitched only 8 innings.[6] The game was considered a no-hitter at the time,[7] however, following rules changes in 1991, the game is no longer counted as a no-hitter.[4] Additionally,Tom L. Hughes held theCleveland Indians without a hit through the first nine innings of a game on August 6, 1910, but the game went intoextra innings, he lost the no-hitter in the tenth inning, and ultimately lost the game 5–0.[8]
The longest interval between Yankees no-hitters was between the game pitched by Larsen on October 8, 1956, andDave Righetti's no hitter on July 4, 1983, encompassing 26 years, 8 months, and 26 days. The shortest gap between such games fell betweenAllie Reynolds' two no-hitters in 1951, a gap of just 2 months and 16 days from July 12 till September 28. Reynolds is the only Yankees pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in his career, and one of only six pitchers in Major League history to throw multiple no-hitters in a season along withMax Scherzer in 2015,Roy Halladay in 2010,Nolan Ryan in 1973,Virgil Trucks in 1952, andJohnny Vander Meer in 1938.[9] The Red Sox and theCleveland Indians (now known as the Guardians) have been no-hit by the Yankees more than any other franchise, each doing so three times. Notably, Reynolds' two no-hit victims in 1951 were the Red Sox and the Indians.
No umpire has called multiple Yankee no-hitters.Bill Dinneen, the umpire who calledSad Sam Jones' 1923 no-hitter, is the only person in MLB history to both pitch (for the Red Sox in 1905) and umpire (five total, including Jones') a no-hitter.[10] The plate umpire for Larsen's perfect game,Babe Pinelli, apocryphally "retired" after that game, but that is mere legend; in reality, since Larsen's perfecto was only Game 5 of the seven-game Series, Pinelli didn't officially retire untiltwo days later, concluding his distinguished umpiring career at second base during Game 7, not at home plate during Game 5.[11]
| ¶ | Indicates aperfect game |
|---|---|
| £ | Pitcher was left-handed |
| # | Date | Pitcher | Opponent | Final score | Base-runners | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 24, 1917 | George Mogridge£ | @Boston Red Sox | 2–1 | 3 |
| [12] |
| 2 | September 4, 1923 | Sad Sam Jones | @Philadelphia Athletics | 2–0 | 2 |
| [13] |
| 3 | August 27, 1938 | Monte Pearson | Cleveland Indians | 13–0 | 2 |
| [14] |
| 4 | July 12, 1951 | Allie Reynolds(1) | @Cleveland Indians | 1–0 | 3 |
| [15] |
| 5 | September 28, 1951 | Allie Reynolds(2) | Boston Red Sox | 8–0 | 4 |
| [16] |
| 6 | October 8, 1956 | Don Larsen¶ | Brooklyn Dodgers | 2–0 | 0 |
| [17] |
| 7 | July 4, 1983 | Dave Righetti£ | Boston Red Sox | 4–0 | 4 |
| [19] |
| 8 | September 4, 1993 | Jim Abbott£ | Cleveland Indians | 4–0 | 5 |
| [20] |
| 9 | May 14, 1996 | Dwight Gooden | Seattle Mariners | 2–0 | 7 |
| [21] |
| 10 | May 17, 1998 | David Wells£¶ | Minnesota Twins | 4–0 | 0 |
| [22] |
| 11 | July 18, 1999 | David Cone¶ | Montreal Expos | 6–0 | 0 |
| [23] |
| 12 | May 19, 2021 | Corey Kluber | @Texas Rangers | 2–0 | 1 |
| [24] |
| 13 | June 28, 2023 | Domingo Germán¶ | @Oakland Athletics | 11–0 | 0 |
|
