TheTexas Rangers are aMajor League Baseballfranchise based inArlington, Texas, nearDallas. Formed in 1961, they play in theAmerican League West division. Known as theWashington Senators from 1961 to 1971, pitchers for the Rangers have thrown fiveno-hitters throughout their franchise history.[1] 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".[2] No-hitters of less than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 meant the exclusion of no-hit games of less than nine innings.[3]Kenny Rogers threw the onlyperfect game, a special subcategory of no-hitter, in Rangers history on July 28, 1994. It remains their most recent no-hitter as of 2023.[4] As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[2]
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."[5] 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."[5] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.[6]
Themanager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager include determining the starting rotation as well as batting order and defensive lineup every game.
| ¶ | Indicates aperfect game |
|---|---|
| £ | Pitcher was left-handed |
| * | Member of theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
| BR | Number ofbase runners by the opposing team |
| No. | Date | Pitcher | Score | BR | Opponent | Catcher | Plate umpire | Manager | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 30, 1973 | Jim Bibby | 6–0 | 6 | @Oakland Athletics | Dick Billings | Art Frantz | Whitey Herzog | [7] | |
| 2 | September 22, 1977 | Bert Blyleven* | 6–0 | 2 | @California Angels | Jim Sundberg | Fred Spenn | Billy Hunter | [8] | |
| 3 | June 11, 1990 | Nolan Ryan*(1) | 5–0 | 2 | @Oakland Athletics | John Russell | Don Denkinger | Bobby Valentine(1) |
| [9] |
| 4 | May 1, 1991 | Nolan Ryan*(2) | 3–0 | 2 | Toronto Blue Jays | Mike Stanley | Tim Tschida | Bobby Valentine(2) | [10] | |
| 5 | July 28, 1994 | Kenny Rogers£¶ | 4–0 | 0 | California Angels | Iván Rodríguez | Ed Bean | Kevin Kennedy |
| [11] |