TheCleveland Guardians are aMajor League Baseballfranchise based inCleveland, Ohio. They play in theAmerican League Central division. Also known as the Cleveland Blues (1901), Cleveland Broncos (1902), Cleveland Naps (1903–1914), and Cleveland Indians (1915–2022),[1] pitchers for the Guardians have thrown 14no-hitters infranchise history.[2] 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 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] No-hitters are rare, but every team in Major League Baseball has had a pitcher accomplish the feat.[a] Twoperfect games, a special subcategory of no-hitter, have been thrown in Guardians history.[5] As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[3] These feats were achieved byAddie Joss on October 2, 1908 and byLen Barker on May 15, 1981.
Bob Rhoads threw the first no-hitter in Guardians history on September 18, 1908; the most recent no-hitter was thrown by Barker on May 15, 1981.[5] No left-handed pitchers have thrown no-hitters in franchise history while all were by right-handers. Nine no-hitters were thrown at home and five on the road. They threw four in April, two in May, two in June, three in July, two in September, and one in October. The longest interval between no-hitters in franchise history was between the games pitched by Barker and incumbent pitcher, encompassing over 39 years from May 15, 1981 till present. Conversely, the shortest interval between no-hitters was between the games pitched by Rhoads and Joss, encompassing merely 14 days from September 18, 1908 till October 2, 1908.[5] They no-hit theChicago White Sox the most, which occurred thrice, which were no-hit by Joss (in 1908 and 1910) andBob Feller (in 1940). There is one no-hitter which the team allowed at least a run, which was done by Rhoads in 1908. The most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter were by Feller (in 1940) andDon Black (in 1947), who each allowed six. Of the 14 no-hitters, five have been won by a score of 1–0, more common than any other results. The largest margin of victory in a no-hitter was a 9–0 win byWes Ferrell in 1931. The smallest margin of victory was a 1–0 wins by Joss in 1908 and 1910, Feller in 1940 and 1946, andDennis Eckersley in 1977; and 2–1 win by Rhoads in 1908.
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."[6] 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."[6] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.[7] 11 different umpires presided over each of the franchise's 14 no-hitters.
Themanager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager is to determine the starting rotation as well as batting order and defensive lineup every game. Managers choosing the right pitcher and right defensive lineup at a right game at a right place at a right time would lead to a no-hitter.[citation needed] 11 different managers have led to the franchise's 14 no-hitters.
| ¶ | Indicates aperfect game |
| £ | Pitcher was left-handed |
| * | Member of theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
| # | Date | Pitcher | Final score | Base- runners | Opponent | Catcher | Plate umpire | Manager | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) (disputed) | June 30, 1901 | Pete Dowling | 7–0 | 5 | @Milwaukee Brewers | George Yeager | Joe Cantillon | Jimmy McAleer |
| [9] |
| 1 | September 18, 1908 | Bob Rhoads | 2–1 | 2 | Boston Red Sox | Harry Bemis | Tommy Connolly(1) | Nap Lajoie(1) |
| [10] |
| 2 | October 2, 1908 | Addie Joss*(1) | 1–0 | 0 | Chicago White Sox | Nig Clarke | Tommy Connolly(2) | Nap Lajoie(2) |
| [10] |
| 3 | April 20, 1910 | Addie Joss*(2) | 1–0 | 2 | @Chicago White Sox | Steve O'Neill | Bull Perrine | Deacon McGuire |
| [11] |
| 4 | September 10, 1919 | Ray Caldwell | 3–0 | 2 | @New York Yankees | Steve O'Neill | Billy Evans | Tris Speaker |
| [12] |
| 5 | April 29, 1931 | Wes Ferrell | 9–0 | 5 | St. Louis Browns | Luke Sewell | Harry Geisel(1) | Roger Peckinpaugh |
| [13] |
| 6 | April 16, 1940 | Bob Feller*(1) | 1–0 | 6 | @Chicago White Sox | Rollie Hemsley | Harry Geisel(2) | Ossie Vitt |
| [14] |
| 7 | April 30, 1946 | Bob Feller*(2) | 1–0 | 5 | @New York Yankees | Frankie Hayes | Eddie Rommel(1) | Lou Boudreau(1) |
| [15] |
| 8 | July 10, 1947 | Don Black | 3–0 | 6 | Philadelphia Athletics | Jim Hegan(1) | Eddie Rommel(2) | Lou Boudreau(2) |
| [16] |
| 9 | June 30, 1948 | Bob Lemon* | 2–0 | 3 | @Detroit Tigers | Jim Hegan(2) | Cal Hubbard | Lou Boudreau(3) |
| [17] |
| 10 | July 1, 1951 | Bob Feller*(3) | 2–1 | 5 | Detroit Tigers | Jim Hegan(3) | Charlie Berry | Al Lopez |
| [18] |
| 11 | June 10, 1966 | Sonny Siebert | 2–0 | 2 | Washington Senators | Joe Azcue | Jim Honochick | Birdie Tebbetts |
| [19] |
| 12 | July 19, 1974 | Dick Bosman | 4–0 | 1 | Oakland Athletics | John Ellis | Hank Morgenweck | Ken Aspromonte |
| [20] |
| 13 | May 30, 1977 | Dennis Eckersley* | 1–0 | 2 | California Angels | Ray Fosse | Bill Deegan | Frank Robinson |
| [21] |
| 14 | May 15, 1981 | Len Barker | 3–0 | 0 | Toronto Blue Jays | Ron Hassey | Rich Garcia | Dave Garcia |
| [22] |