In the 2024 MLB season there were three one-pitcher no hitters – Ronel Blanco, Dylan Cease and Blake Snell. For two of those pitchers, the no-hitter was their first – and still only – MLB complete game. Snell’s no-no was of special interest to Baseball Roundtable because Snell is already a two-time Cy Young Award winner and this first career complete outing came in his ninth MLB season and 202nd MLB start. As usual with The Roundtable, one thing led to another and I took a deep dive into Modern Era (post-1900) MLB pitchers whose first MLB complete game was a no-hitter. I came across 29 such instances and, as you might expect, most of them were relatively recent. (Complete games themselves, of course, are considerably rarer these days and a pitcher practically has to be working on a no-hitter – or at least a shutout – to be extended beyond the acceptable “pitch count.”) Of the 29 first-complete game no-hitters I found, 23 came after the year 2000 and ten of those since 2020. Note: Negro League stats, particularly game-by game, from 1920-48 are not complete.
For a further point of comparison, I went back to 1953, the year the Braves moved to Milwaukee and my love of everything baseball (and everything Eddie Mathews) was born. That season there were 864 complete games in Major League Baseball – that is 111 more complete games than in the last 12 seasons combined (and remember back in 1953, there were fewer teams, playing a shorter season).
A Diversion – Before the Statistical Meat of this Post
I still remember vividly (but not fondly) my feelings on April 13, 2002, when I was attending a Dodgers/Twins matchup at Target Field. After 7 1/2 innings, the Dodgers were up 6-0 – but, more significantly, Clayton Kershaw was pitching a perfect game. Nary a twin had reached base and 13 had gone down on strikes. My scorecard was looking like a real keeper – and perhaps I would be among 17,101 fans witnessing a bit of MLB history. Not meant to happen. Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts brought in reliever Alex Vesia to open the eighth frame, despite the fact that Kershaw had thrown just 80 pitches. Just another look at how hard it is to get a complete game these days.
Now, let’s look at first-complete game no-hitters, prioritized by:
- First complete-game perfect games;
- First – and only – MLB career complete-game no hitters; and
- Simply first complete-game no hitters. Note: an * indicates the pitcher was still active in MLB in 2024.
FIRST COMPLETE GAME A PERFECT GAME
Philip Humber, RHP, White Sox … April 21, 2012
Photo: Keith Allison on Flickr derivative work: Muboshgu, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Philip Humber tossed his perfect game (his only career complete game) in his seventh MLB season, 56th appearance, 30th start. He was on the mound for the White Sox, facing the Mariners (in Seattle). He threw 96 pitches in his 27-up/27-down performance – fanning nine Mariner hitters – as the White Sox prevailed 4-0. It was just his second start of the season and he had given up just one run (six hits) in 5 1/3 innings in his first outing. After the perfect game, things seemed to go awry. His next time out, Humber gave up nine earned runs in five innings and, in the three starts following the perfecto, he surrendered 20 earned runs in 13 1/3 frames. He finished the 2012 season – in which he lost about a month due to an elbow issue – at 5-5, 6.44. The following season (Humber’s last in the major leagues), the righthander went 0-8, 7.90 with the Astros. Humber pitched in eight MLB seasons (2006-2013 … Mets, Twins, Royals, White Sox, Astros). His career record was 16-23, 5.31 in 97 appearances (51 starts), with, of course, that one very memorable complete game.
Humber was the third overall pick (Mets) in the 2004 MLB draft (out of Rice University, where he had gone 35-8, 2.80, with six complete games in 49 starts, over three seasons).
Dallas Braden, LHP, A’s … May 9, 2010
Photo: Jeff Kubina on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop), CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Dallas Braden’s first MLB complete game was not only a no-hitter, but like Humber’s it was a perfect game. It was not, however, his only MLB complete game. The perfect outing came on May 9, 2010, as his A’s bested the Rays 4-0 in Oakland. This first career complete game came in his fourth MLB season (68th appearance/53rd start). Braden fanned six batters in his 109-pitch perfecto and reached ball three on only four of the 27 hitters he faced. Braden threw four more complete games that season, when he finished at 11-15, 3.50.
Braden pitched in five MLB seasons (2007-11), all for the A’s. He went 26-36, 4.16 for his MLB career – with five complete games (two shutouts).
Braden was signed by the A’s (out of Texas Tech University) in the 24th round of the 2004 MLB Draft.
Domingo German*, RHP, Yankees … June 28, 2023
Photo: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Domingo German was 30-years-old and in his sixth MLB season when he threw his perfect game, which was also his first (and still only) MLB complete game. It came in his 85th MLB start (107th appearance) and was part of an 11-0 Yankees win over the A’s (in Oakland). German fanned nine in his 99-pitch (72-strike) outing. He went to a three-ball count on only two of the 27 batters. Interestingly (to me), in the outing that preceded his perfecto, German lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits, two walks and ten runs (eight earned) and, in the outing after his perfect game, German lasted just 4 1/3 frames, giving up nine hits and three runs (two earned). He finished the 2023 season at 5-7, 4.56.
Domingo German pitched the first perfect game by a player from the Dominican Republic.
German was signed by the Marlins as an international free agent in 2009. He has pitched in seven MLB seasons (2017-19, 2021-24 … Yankees, Pirates). He record stands at 31-29, 4.54. His best season was 2019, when he went 18-4, 4.03 for the Yankees. To date, German has just the one complete game in 91 MLB starts.
FIRST AND ONLY CAREER COMPLETE GAME A NO-HITTER
Bobo Holloman, RHP, Browns … May 6, 1953
Bobo Holloman was the first Modern Era pitcher to throw no-hitter in his first-ever MLB start. (Tyler Gilbert matched that feat in 2021). It was a start Holloman “earned” by going 0-1, 8.44 in his first five career MLB appearances (five earned runs in 5 1/3 relief innings). In nis no-hitter, the thirty-year-old rookie shutdown the Athletics (in St. Louis) in a 6-0 win – walking five and fanning three. He made hard work of the final inning, walking the first two batters (PH Elmer Valo and SS Eddie Joost) before inducing a double play grounder (CF Dave Philley). He then walked his third batter of the inning (3B Loren Babe) before getting 1B and cleanup hitter Eddie Robinson on a flyout to right. Holloman finished the 1953 season, his only big-league campaign, 3-7, 5.23 in 22 appearances (10 starts).
Bud Smith, LHP, Cardinals … September 3, 2001
Bud Smith no-hit the Padres 4-0 in San Diego in his lucky 13 MLB appearance (11th start). He walked four and fanned seven in the 134-pitch outing, which ran his rookie season record to 4-2, 3.75. He would finish the campaign at 6-3, 3.83. The following season, Smith would go 1-5, 6.94 – and he ended his MLB career with a 7-8, 4.95 record. (He did pitch in the minors through 2005.)
Smith was signed (by the Cardinals) out of the fourth round of the 1998 Major League Draft. In 2000, he went 17-2. 2.26 at Double-A and Triple-A. Before his 2001 callup, he was 8-5, 2.75 at Triple-A.
Jonathan Sanchez, LHP, Giants … July 10, 2009
Jonathan Sanchez’ no-hitter (and only MLB complete game) came in his fourth MLB season (106th appearance/51st start) – and almost vaulted him into the perfect game portion of this post. Sanchez retired the first 22 batters he faced, fanning nine. Then, with one out in the eighth, Padres’ LF Chase Headley reached on an error by Giants’ 3B Pablo Sandoval. Sanchez then retired the next five Padres’ batters to complete the 110-pitch no-no with just that one blemish. Sanchez went 8-12, 4.26 in 2009 and 39-58, 4.70 for his eight MLB seasons (2006-2013 … Giants, Royals, Rockies, Pirates). He made 194 appearances – 137 starts.
Sanchez waw a 27th-round pick (Giants) in the 2004 MLB Draft. His best MLB season was 2010, when he went 13-9, 3.07 for the Giants.
Hisashi Iwakuma, RHP, Mariners …. August 12, 2015
Hisashi Iwakuma’s no-hitter (and only complete game) came in his fourth MLB season (his age-34 season), 102nd MLB appearance and 88th start. Iwakuma threw 116 pitches (three walks, seven strikeouts) in topping the Orioles 3-0 in Seattle. The game ran his record to 3-0, 3.86 in a season which would see him go 9-5, 3.54. Prior to joining the Mariners, Iwakuma had pitched 11 seasons in Japan, going 107-69, 3.25, with 48 complete games in 225 starts. In MLB, he pitched six seasons (2012-17), all for the Mariners – going 63-39, 3.42, with that one complete game in 136 starts (150 appearances). He was an All Star in 2013, when he went 14-6, 2.66. He won 15 or more games in three of his six MLB campaigns. Iwakuma was just the second Japanese player to pitch an MLB no-no (after Hideo Nomo).
Alec Mills, RHP, Cubs … September 13, 2020
Alec Mills was in his fourth MLB season when he tossed his no-hitter and only compete game. It came in his 28th MLB appearance and 15th start. Mills was up-and-down (majors-and-minors) over the previous three seasons (from 2016-19, he appeared in 73 minor-league games and 19 MLB games). In 2020, he made his first start for the Cubs in late July. His no-hitter came on lucky September 13, as his Cubs trounced the Brewers 12-0 in Milwaukee. Coming into the game Mills was 4-3, 4.74 on the season. In his no-no, he walked three and struck out five (114 pitches).
Miller finished the season at 5-5, 4.48. He pitched in seven MLB campaigns (2016, 2018-23), going 12-14, 5.00 in 70 games (39 starts).
Miller was originally signed by the Royals (out of University of Tennessee-Martin) in the 22nd round of the 2012 MLB draft. In 11 minor-league seasons, he threw one complete game in 131 starts.
John Means*, LHP, Orioles … May 5, 2021
John Means threw a no-hitter in Seattle, as the Orioles beat the Mariners 6-0. He walked none and fanned a dozen in his 114-pitch outing and one errant pitch cost him a perfect game – despite the fact that he faced the minimum 27 batters. In the bottom of the third inning, with none on and one out, Means got ahead of Seattle LF Sam Haggerty 1-2, who then swung and missed (for strike three) a curveball in the dirt (scored a wild pitch) that got past catcher Pedro Severino enabling Haggerty to reach first. On the first pitch to the next batter Haggerty was thrown out trying to steal and Means retired the next 19 batters in order – for an almost perfect outing for his first career complete game. The no-no came in Means’ fourth MLB season, 39th career MLB appearance and 44th start. He finished the 2012 season at 6-9, 3.62.
Still active in 2024 (2018-24, all for the Orioles) Means has an MLB career record of 23-26, 3.68. He was 2-0, 2.61 in 2024 before undergoing season-ending surgery. Means was an All Star as a rookie in 2019, when he went 12-11, 3.60 for the Orioles.
Means was selected by the Orioles in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB draft (out of West Virginia University).
Spencer Turnbull*, RHP, Tigers … May 18, 2021
Spencer Turnbull no-hit the Mariners in a 5-0 Tigers’ win in Seattle – walking two and fanning nine in a 117-pitch outing. The gem came in his fourth MLB season, 51st appearance, 50th start. Turnbull, still active in 2024, has a career stat line of 15-29, 4.26 (78 appearances/67 starts). His career was interrupted by Tommy John surgery in 2021. He has pitched in the major leagues for the Tigers and Phillies.
Turnbull was drafted by the Tigers in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft (out of the University of Alabama, where he went 11-16, 3.54 in three seasons).
Tyler Gilbert*, LHP, Diamondbacks … August 14, 2021
Tyler Gilbert’s no-hitter/only career complete game came in his first MLB start (fourth MLB appearance) – on August 14, 2021, as his Diamondbacks topped the Padres 7-0 in Arizona. He walked three and fanned five in the 102-pitch outing. Gilbert finished the 2021 season at 2-2-, 2.15 in nine appearances (six starts). He has been up-and down (Triple-A/Majors) since that time, and his career MLB record is 2-7, 4.23. In nine minor-league seasons, he has made 242 appearances (62 starts) with no complete games, compiling a 41-34, 4.06 record.
Gilbert was a Phillies’ sixth-round pick in the 2015 MLB draft – out of the University of Southern California, where he went 5-2, 2.79 in 2015. He also pitched two years at Santa Barbara City College (15-7, 3.11).
Reid Detmers*, LHP, Angels … May 10, 2022
Reid Detmers no-hitter came in his second MLB season (11th MLB appearance/11th start), as his Angels beat the Rays 12-0 in Anaheim. Detmers walked one and struck out two in his 108-pitch outing. He went on to finish the season at 7-6, 3.77 in 25 starts. Still active (major leagues 2021-24 … Angels), he has a career mark of 16-28, with just the one complete game in 75 starts. Side note: His one complete game in 2022 was enough to tie for the AL lead in shutouts that season.
Detmers was an Angels’ first-round draft pick (tenth overall) in 2020 – out of the University of Louisville, where he went 20-6, 3.20 over three seasons.
Mike Lorenzen*, RHP, Phillies … August 9, 2023
Mike Lorenzen’s no-no came in his ninth MLB season (333rd career appearance/64th start). It was Lorenzen’s second appearance for the Phillies (following an August 1 trade from the Tigers). In the 124-pitch outing, he walked four and fanned five, while his Phillies topped the Nationals 7-0 in Washington D.C. (Seven may have been a lucky number, the 7-0 win moved Lorenzen’s record to 7-7 on the season.) Lorenzen finished the 2023 season at 9-9, 4.18. Still active in 2024, Lorenzen has a career record of 47-44, 3.99 (15 saves) in 368 appearances (93 starts). He still has just the one complete game. Since his MLB debut in 2015, Lorenzen has pitched for the Reds, Angels, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers and Royals. In 2024, the 32-year-old Lorenzen went 7-6, 3.31 for the Rangers and Royals.
Lorenzon was a first-round pick (Reds, 38th overall) in the 2013 MLB draft – out of California State University Fullerton, where he pitched and played outfield. At CSU, he went 5-0, 1.61, with 35 saves (42 appearances, all in relief) and hit .322-11-128 in 167 games.
Let Me Take My Cuts
Mike Lorenzen is a pretty good hitter for a pitcher. In fact, over his MLB career, he has played 34 games in outfield and has been used 29 times as a pinch hitter. He has a .233 career batting average (1-for-133) with seven home runs and 24 RBI.
Ronel Blanco*, RHP, Astros … April 1, 2024
On April 1 of the 2024 season, 30-year-old Astros’ righty Ronel Blanco tossed a no hitter in a 10-0 Houston win over the Blue Jays (in Houston). Blanco fanned seven and walked two in the whitewashing. It was his first-ever complete game and only complete game to date. The 105-pitch no-no came in Blanco’s third MLB season, 25th MLB appearance and just his eighth MLB start. Blanco went 13-6, 2.80 in 2024 and has a career mark of 15-7, 3.31 (2022-24, Astros).
Blanco signed with the Astros in 2016 as an international free agent.(Dominican Republic).
Blake Snell, LHP, Giants … August 2, 2024
On August 2 of the most recent MLB season, Giants’ southpaw Blake Snell no-hit the Reds in a 3-0 win in Cincinnati. – picking up his first victory of the season (running his record on the season to 1-3, 4.29.) It was the two-time Cy Yong Award winners first (and still only) MLB complete game – coming in his ninth MLB season and 202nd MLB start. In the game, Snell threw 114 pitches, walking three and fanning 11. He fanned the side (three up/three down) in the first and fourth innings and not a single runner reached second base.
The no-hitter remains the only time in his MLB career (211 starts) that that Snell pitched at least eight innings (he has logged seven or more innings in 33 starts).
Snell finished the 2024 season at 5-3, 3.12 in 20 starts – and now had a career mark of 76-58, 3.19 over nine seasons (2016-2024 … Rays, Padres Giants).
Snell was selected by the Rays in the first round of the 2011 draft (out of Shorewood, WA, High School). In his senior year, Snell went 9-0, with a 1.00 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched.
FIRST (BUT NOT ONLY) COMPLETE GAME A NO-HITTER
Bill Stoneman, RHP, Expos … April 17, 1979
Bill Stoneman no-hit the Phillies in 7-0 Expos win in Philadelphia – walking five and fanning eight. It came in his third MLB season, 60th game and, 22nd start. It was the first no-hitter for the expansion Expo’s (they had taken Stoneman (from the Cubs) with their ninth selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Stoneman, a 31st round Cubs’ selection in the 1966 MLB draft (out of the University of Idaho) had a 2-5, 4.00 MLB record for the Cubs in 1967-68. In 1969, Stoneman went 11-19, 4.39 for the 52-110 Expos, with eight complete games. He led the Expos in wins, starts (36), complete games (8), shutouts (5), innings pitched (235 2/3) and strikeouts (185).
Stoneman pitched in eight MLB seasons (1967-74 … Cubs, Expos, Angles), going 54-85, 4.08. He threw 45 complete games in 169 starts, including 15 shutouts.
Charlie Lea, RHP, Expos … May 10., 1981
Charlie Lea’s no-hitter came in his second MLB season (27th appearances/233rd start.) It was part of a 4-0 win over the Giants in Montreal. In a game tied at zero through six frames, Lea walked four and fanned eight. He threw his second career complete game in his very next start (May 16), a four-hit, 5-0 shutout over the Giants.
Lea pitched in seven MLB seasons (1980-84, 1987-88 … Expos, Twins). He went 62-48, 3.54 in 152 games (144 starts) and tossed 22 complete games. His best season was 1988, when he went 15-10, 2.89. Note: Lea’s career was interrupted by a shoulder injury.
Lea was selected by the Expos in the ninth round of the 1978 MLB Draft – out of the University of Memphis, where he went 9-2, 3.78 in 1978.
Wilson Alvarez, LHP, White Sox … August 11, 1991
In August 11, 22-year-old White Sox southpaw Wilson Alvarez won 7-0 game over the Orioles in Baltimore. It was just his second MLB appearance (he had one start in 1989), first complete game and first MLB victory. Alvarez walked five and fanned seven in his no-no. Side note: In his first MLB appearance (for the Texas Rangers on July 24, 1989), Alvarez started and faced just five batters. It went single, home run, home run, walk, walk. Although his second MLB start didn’t come until two seasons later, the wait was clearly worth it.
Alvarez pitched in 14 MLB seasons (1989, 1991-99, 2002-05 … Rangers, White Sox, Giants, Devil Rays, Dodgers), going 102-92, 3.96 in 355 appearances (263 starts, 12 complete games). He was an All Star in 1994, when he went 12-8, 3.45 for the ChiSox. His best season was 1993, when he went 15-8, 2.95 for the White Sox.
Kent Mercker, LHP, Braves … April 8, 1994
Kent Mercker was in his sixth MLB season (185th appearances/12th start) when he threw his first complete game – a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Dodgers (in LA). It was his first start of the 1994 season. In the game, he walked four and fanned ten, throwing 131 pitches (85 strikes). Mercker pitched a second complete game in 1994 (a July 18, two-hit, 3-2 win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh). He finished the 1994 season at 9-4, 3.45 (20 games/17 starts). Moving between starter and reliever during his career (542 relief appearances/150 starts), his nine 1994 wins would be his second-highest career total (he was 11-11, 5.07 for the Cardinals in 1998).
After his two complete games in 1994, Mercker would pitch another 11 years in the major leagues (492 appearances/122 more starts) without notching another complete game. Overall, Mercker pitched in 18 MLB seasons (1989-2000, 2002-2006, 2008 … Braves, Orioles, Reds, Indians, Cardinals, Red Sox, Angels, Rockies, Cubs), going 74-67, 4.16, with 25 saves.
Mercker was drafted by the Braves in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1986 MLB Draft out of Dublin (Ohio) Coffman High School (where he had a 32-3 record over four seasons).
Jose Jimenez, RHP, Cardinals … July 5, 1999
Jose Jimenez’ no-no came in his second MLB season (19th game/18th start). It was a bit of a surprise (he came into the game – against the Diamondbacks – with a 3-7 record and a 6.69 earned run average). Jimenez had given up five or more runs in five of his previous seven starts. He used 101 pitches (two walks and eight strikeouts) to no-hit down the Diamondbacks in a 1-0 Cardinals win (the opposing hurler was Randy Johnson, who pitched a four-hitter and fanned 12.)
Jimenez went 5-14, 5.85 that season, his last as a full-time starter. (In his first two MLB seasons, Jimenez made 31 starts in 33 appearances. Then, from 2000 through 2004, he made just seven starts in 296 appearances.) He pitched in seven MLB seasons (1998-2004 … Cardinals, Rockies, Indians) and went 24-44, 4.92 with 110 saves (329 games, 38 starts, two complete games.)
Jimenez signed with the Cardinals as a free agent (out of the Dominican Republic) in 1991.
A.J. Burnett, RHP, Marlins … May 12, 2001
A.J. Burnet threw an unusual no-hitter in his second start of the 2001 season. As his Marlins topped the Padres 3-0 in San Diego, Burnett saw lots of opposing jerseys in his infield – as he gave up nine walks (seven strikeouts) and one hit batsman in his 129-pitch outing. In fact, over the first four innings, he threw 70 pitches – walking six, hitting one batter and tossing one wild pitch – and still his Marlins led 2-0. Burnett finished the 2001 season at 11-12, 4.05 for the 76-86 Marlins.
Burnett enjoyed a 17-season MLB career (1999-2015 …Marlins, Blue Jays, Yankees, Pirates, Phillies), going 164-157, 3.99, with 24 complete games in 435 starts). His best season was 2008, when he went 18-10, 4.07 for the Blue Jays. He was an All Star once – in his final season – for the 2015 Pirates. In that campaign, he was 7-3, 3.18 at the break, but 2-4, 6.04 in the second half.
He was drafted by the Mets in the eighth round of the 1995 MLB Draft (out of Central Arkansas Christian High School.)
Derek Lowe, RHP, Red Sox … April 27, 2002
Derek Lowe’s first complete game came in his sixth MLB season, 303rd appearance and 27th start (2002 was his first season as a full-time starter). He went on to pitch through the 2013 season – 378 more appearances, 350 more starts, nine more complete games.
In his 97-pitch no-hitter, a 10-0 Red Sox win over the Rays, Lowe walked one and fanned six. In the game, the Rays hit just five fair balls out of the infield.
An All Star in Two Roles
Derek Lowe made the AL All Star team as a reliever in 2000, when he went 4-4, 2.56 with a league-leading 42 saves for the Red Sox. He later (2006) made the All Star team as a starter (21-8, 2.58, also for the Red Sox).
Lowe pitched in 17 MLB seasons (1997-2013 … Mariners, Red Sox, Dodgers, Braves, Indians, Yankees, Rangers), making 681 appearances (377 starts). He went 176-157, 4.03 (86 saves). Lowe won 15 or more games in five seasons.
Lowe was signed by the Mariners after being drafted in the eighth round of the 1991 MLB Draft out of Edsel Ford High School (where he lettered in baseball, basketball, soccer and gol).
Anibel Sanchez, RHP, Marlins … September 6, 2006
Anibel Sanchez’ no-hitter came early in his career – in his rookie season (at age 22). He would go on to pitch in 16 MLB seasons and record eight more complete games. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Sanchez’ no-no came in his 14th MLB appearance and lucky 13th start. He walked four and fanned six in the 103-pitch outing – a 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks. (Just two starts later, he pitched his second MLB complete game – in a 2-1 loss to the Braves in Atlanta). Sanchez pitched in 16 MLB seasons (2007-2020. 2022 … Marlins, Tigers, Braves, Nationals). He went 116-199, 4.28 in 364 appearances (361 starts). His best season was 2013, when he went 14-8 for the Tigers and won the AL earned run average crown at 2.57.
Sanchez signed with the Red Sox as an International Free Agent in 2001.
Clay Bucholz, RHP, Red Sox … September 1, 2007
Clay Bucholz no-hit the Orioles (10-0) in Baltimore in just his second MLB appearance (also his second MLB start). In the 115-pitrh outing, he walked three and fanned nine. He made just four appearances in the majors that season, going 3-1, 1.59. (Bucholz was 8-5, 2.44 at Double-A and Triple-A that year.)
Bucholz went on to a 13-season MLB career (2007-2019 … Red Sox, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays) – with ten of those seasons with Boston. His final MLB stat line was 90-69, 3.98, with ten complete games (six shutouts) in 218 starts (236 appearances). He was a two-time All Star and his best season was 2010, when he went 17-7, 2.33 for the Red Sox,
Now, that a Pain the Neck (and a spoiled season)
In 2013, Clay Bucholz was 9-0, 1.71 when he was place on the DL (neck strain) in mid-June. He was out until September 10 and finished the season 12-1, 1.74.
Bucholz was selected by the Red Sox on the first round of the 2005 MLB Draft.
Jon Lester, LHP, Red Sox … May 19, 2008
Jon Lester’s first complete game came in his third MLB season, 38th appearance/37th start) – in a 7-0 Red Sox win over the Royals at Fenway. He threw 130 pitches in his no-hitter, walking two and fanning nine. Forty-five days (and eight starts) later he threw another complete game – this one a five-hitter in another 7-0 win over the Yankees. Those two shutouts would lead the AL in whitewashings.
Lester pitched in 16 MLB seasons (2006-2012 … Red Sox, A’s, Cubs, Nationals, Cardinals), going 200-117, 3.66 in 452 appearances (451 starts), He would record 15 complete games. A five-time All Star, Lester won 15 or more games in eight seasons and led the NL with 18 wins for the Cubs in 2018.
Lester was selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft – out of Bellarmine Preparatory School (Washington), where he was Washington’s 2000 Gatorade Player of the Year.
Francisco Liriano, LHP, Twins … May 3, 2011
Francisco Liriano’s no-hitter (and first complete game) came in his sixth MLB season (114th appearance/95th start). It was part of a tight pitching duel – won by the Twins 1-0 – with the White Sox Edwin Jackson. Liriano walked six and fanned two in his 123-pitch outing (just 66 strikes). It wasn’t a stellar season for Liriano, despite the no hitter. He went 9-10, 5.09. (His ERA coming into the no-no was 9.13 in five starts.) In the starts immediately before and after the no-hitter, Liriano last three innings each time, giving up seven and four runs, respectively.
Liriano pitched in 14 MLB seasons (2005-06, 2008-2019 … Twins, White Sox, Pirates, Blue Jays, Astros, Tigers). He went 112-114, 4.14 in 419 games (300 starts and three complete games). His best season was 2013, when he went 16-8, 3.02 in 26 starts for the Pirates.
Liriano was signed by the Giants in 2000 as an International Free Agent.
Francisco Liriano won the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2010 and the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award with the Pirates in 2013. He’s the only player to win the award in both leagues.
Mike Fiers, RHP, Astros …. August 21, 2015
Mike Fiers started the 2015 season with the Brewers and was 5-9, 3.89 when traded to the Astros (July 30). In his third start (fourth appearance) for Houston, Fiers threw a three-walk, ten-whiff, no-hitter versus the Dodgers for his first-ever MLB complete game. It came in his 60th start (75th appearance). He threw 134 pitches in the no-no (88 strikes).
Fiers pitched one additional complete game in his career (219 appearances/99 starts). He pitched in 11 MLB seasons (2011-2021 … Brewers, Astros, Tigers, A.s) going 75-64, 4.07. His best season as 2018, when he went 12-8, 3.56 for the Tigers and A’s.
Fiers was selected by the Brewers in the 22nd round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
Sean Manaea*, LHP, A’s … April 21, 2018
Sean Manaea threw his first MLB complete game in his third season, 59th appearance and 58th start. He walked two and fanned ten in that April 21, 2018, 3-0, no-hit win over the Red Sox. Manaea finished 2021 at 12-9, 3.59. Still active, he has a career 77-62, 4.00 record in nine seasons (2016-24 … A’s, Padres, Giants, Mets). He has thrown two more complete games (both in 2021 and both shutouts). In 2024, he was 12-6, 3.47 in 32 starts for the Mets.
James Paxton*, LHP, Mariners … May 8, 2018
James Paxton’s no-hitter came in his sixth MLB season (82nd appearance, all starts). Pitching for the Mariners, he shut down the Blue Jays 5-0 in Toronto. Paxton walked three and fanned seven in the 99- pitch outing. Just 11 days later (May 19), in a 7-2 win over the Tigers, he threw his second (and to date only other) career complete game. Since that time, he has had 114 MLB starts. Still active in 2024 (9-3, 4.40 for the Dodgers and Red Sox), Paxton has pitched in 11 MLB seasons (2013-21, 2023-24 … Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers) and has a 73-41, 3.77 career record. His best season was 2019, when he went 15-6, 3.82 for the Yankees.
Paxton was a fourth-round draft choice (Mariners) in 2010 – out of the University of Kentucky, where he went 11-5, 4.91 over three seasons.
Joe Musgrove*, RHP, Padres … April 9, 2021
Another still-active pitcher, Joe Musgrove tossed his no-hitter in his sixth MLB season, 110th appearances, and 85th starting assignment – as his Padres topped the Rangers 3-0 in Texas. Musgrove didn’t walk a batter and fanned ten in his near-perfect outing. A fourth-inning pitch that hit Rangers’ RF Joey Gallo was all that stood between Musgrove and a perfect game. Later that season, he threw a second complete game – a three-hit shutout, as the Padres beat the Angels 5-0 in Anaheim. To date, he still has just the two complete games. Musgrove went 11-9, 3.18 in the season of his no-no and ended 2024 with a career record of 66-62, 3.73 (206 games, 180 starts). He has pitched in nine MLB seasons (2016-224 … Astros, Pirates, Padres.)
Musgrove was the 46th pick (Mariners) in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft (out of Grossmount High School).
Two the Road
While pre-1900 first-complete game no-hitter records are more difficult to document, and were often thrown under different rules (shorter pitching distances, nine-ball walks, for example), Ted Breitenstein and Charles “Bumpus” Jones deserve some mention here. Each threw a no-hitter in their first MLB start. Breitenstein for the American Association St. Louis Browns on October 4, 1891 – in a 6-0 win over the Louisville Colonels. Jones for the Reds on October 15, 1892 in a 7-1 win over the Pirates.
Breitenstein pitched in 11 MLB seasons (1891-1901 … Browns, Reds) and went 160-170, 4.03, with 301 complete games in 342 stats. Jones only pitched in two MLB seasons (1892-93 … Reds, Giants), going 2-4, 7.99, with three complete games in seven starts. His 1993 no-hitter came on the final day of the season.
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