ThePhiladelphia Phillies are aMajor League Baseballfranchise based inPhiladelphia. They play in theNational League East division. Also known in their early years as the "Philadelphia Quakers",[1] pitchers for the Phillies have thrown fourteen separateno-hitters infranchise history.[2] A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only "when apitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings", though one or morebatters "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".[3] 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.[4]
Of the fourteen no-hitters pitched by Phillies players, three have been won by a score of 6–0, and three by a score of 1–0, more common than any other results. The largest margin of victory in a Phillies no-hitter was ten runs, in a 10–0 win byChick Fraser.Charlie Ferguson's no-hitter, the first in franchise history, was a 1–0 victory, as were two of the more recent regular season no-hitters, thrown byKevin Millwood in 2003 andRoy Halladay in 2010. Three pitchers to throw no-hitters for the Phillies have been left-handed:Johnny Lush (in 1906),Terry Mulholland (in 1990) andCole Hamels (in 2015). The other nine pitchers were right-handed. Halladay is the only Phillies' pitcher to throw more than one no-hitter in a Phillies uniform, and others, includingHall of FamerJim Bunning, have pitched more than one in their careers.[5] The longest interval between Phillies no-hitters was between the games pitched by Lush and Bunning, encompassing 58 years, 1 month, and 20 days from May 1, 1906 to June 21, 1964. Conversely, the shortest interval between no-hitters was between Halladay's two 2010 no-hitters, with a total of merely four months and seven days from May 29 to October 6; the shortest gap between regular-season no-hitters was between Mulholland's andTommy Greene's games (nine months and eight days from August 15, 1990 to May 23, 1991).[6] Two opponents have been no-hit by the Phillies more than one time: theSan Francisco Giants, who were defeated by Mulholland (in 1990) and Millwood (in 2003); and theCincinnati Reds, who were no-hit byRick Wise (in 1971) and Halladay (in 2010).
Theumpire 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."[7] Part of the duties of the umpire making calls at home plate includes defining thestrike zone, which "is defined as that area overhomeplate(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."[7] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter. A different umpire presided over each of the Phillies' fourteen no-hitters, includingWes Curry, who created Major League Baseball'scatcher interference rule.[8]
Twoperfect games, a special subcategory of no-hitter, have been pitched in Phillies history. This feat was achieved by Bunning in 1964, which was the first perfect game in theNational League since 1880,[5] and Halladay in 2010. As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[3]
On July 25, 2015, Phillies left-handerCole Hamels threw his first career no-hitter in a 5–0 win over theChicago Cubs at the historicWrigley Field. He narrowly missed completing a perfect game by walking two Cubs batters.Odubel Herrera, Phillies centerfielder, nearly dropped the game's final out at the warning track after he overran a long fly ball hit by Cubs rookie sensationKris Bryant; Herrera, however, was able to snag the ball with an awkward sliding catch to close out the game and preserve Hamels's no-hitter. In addition to this being Cole Hamels's first no-hitter, this was the fourth no hitter caught by longtime Phillies catcherCarlos Ruiz, who now has tied the MLB record for no-hitters caught.
| ¶ | Indicates aperfect game |
| § | Indicates game pitched in thepostseason |
| £ | Pitcher was left-handed |
| * | Member of theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
| Date | Pitcher | Final score | Base- runners | Opponent | Catcher | Umpire | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, 1885 | Charlie Ferguson | 1–0 | 4[9] | Providence Grays | Jack Clements | Wes Curry |
| [10] |
| July 8, 1898 | Red Donahue | 5–0 | 4[11] | Boston Beaneaters | Ed McFarland | John Gaffney |
| [12] |
| September 18, 1903 | Chick Fraser | 10–0 | 7[13] | Chicago Colts | Red Dooin | Bob Emslie |
| [14][15] |
| May 1, 1906 | Johnny Lush£ | 6–0 | 4 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Jerry Donovan | Hank O'Day |
| [16][17] |
| June 21, 1964 | Jim Bunning*¶ | 6–0 | 0 | New York Mets | Gus Triandos | Ed Sudol |
| [18] |
| June 23, 1971 | Rick Wise | 4–0 | 1 | Cincinnati Reds | Tim McCarver | Jerry Dale |
| [19] |
| August 15, 1990 | Terry Mulholland£ | 6–0 | 1 | San Francisco Giants | Darren Daulton | Eric Gregg |
| [20] |
| May 23, 1991 | Tommy Greene | 2–0 | 7 | Montreal Expos | Darrin Fletcher | Jim Quick |
| [21] |
| April 27, 2003 | Kevin Millwood | 1–0 | 3 | San Francisco Giants | Mike Lieberthal | Mike Everitt |
| [22] |
| May 29, 2010 | Roy Halladay*¶ | 1–0 | 0 | Florida Marlins | Carlos Ruiz | Mike DiMuro |
| [23] |
| October 6, 2010 | Roy Halladay* | 4–0§ | 1 | Cincinnati Reds | Carlos Ruiz | John Hirschbeck |
| [24] |
| September 1, 2014 | Cole Hamels£ | 7–0 | 6 | Atlanta Braves | Carlos Ruiz | Jordan Baker |
| [25] |
| July 25, 2015 | Cole Hamels£ | 5–0 | 2 | Chicago Cubs | Carlos Ruiz | Phil Cuzzi |
| [26] |
| August 9, 2023 | Michael Lorenzen | 7–0 | 4 | Washington Nationals | J. T. Realmuto | Brennan Miller |
| [27] |
