Ervin Santana No-Hitter: Power Ranking the Nine No-Hitters in LA Angels History

On Wednesday afternoon, Los Angeles Angels starter Ervin Santana set out to register his first win ever over the Cleveland Indians. In his previous 10 starts against the Indians, Santana was 0-6 with a 4.98 ERA.

At the end of the first inning at Progressive Field, it certainly didn’t look like Santana’s luck against Cleveland was going to change. An error, stolen base and wild pitch led to the Indians scoring the first run of the game.

It was the only luck the Indians would have all day against Santana.

Using a mix of mid-90s fastballs and a devastating curveball, Santana was able to not only keep the Indians scoreless the rest of the way, but he threw the ninth no-hitter in Angels’ history, leading the Halos to a 3-1 victory over the Indians.

It was the first no-hitter ever thrown at Progressive Field, and the first no-hitter by the Angels since Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined for a no-no on April 11, 1990.

So how does Santana’s gem on Wednesday compare to the rest of the no-hitters in Angels history? Let’s take a look.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.

9. Nolan Ryan: Sept. 28, 1974

When fireballer Nolan Ryan stepped onto the mound for his 41st and final start of the 1974 season against the Minnesota Twins, he was already 21-16 for the season with an ERA of 2.98.

As was the case with most of his starts in his young and burgeoning career, Ryan was wild throughout, walking eight Twins batters. However, the Ryan Express was also in town, as he struck out 15 batters en route to the third no-hitter of his career.

The victory gave Ryan his 22nd win, a career high, and 367 strikeouts for the season, just 16 below the major league record set by Ryan the year before.

Ryan also walked a record 202 batters on the year as well.

8. Mark Langston/Mike Witt: April 11, 1990

Early in the 1990 season, the California Angels were playing the Seattle Mariners in just the third game of the year. Starter Mark Langston was throwing a gem, not allowing a hit through seven innings, walking four and striking out three.

However, Langston had thrown 99 pitches, and Angels manager Doug Rader was not about to risk his young pitcher’s arm so early in the season.

Mike Witt came on in the eighth and retired the next six Mariners to complete the no-hitter combo for the Angels, the eighth no-hitter in franchise history.

7. Bo Belinsky: May 5, 1962

On May 5, 1962, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky was making his fourth career start against the Baltimore Orioles and young hurler Steve Barber. Barber was impressive the year previous, winning 18 games with an ERA of 3.33.

However on this day, it was Belinsky who was impressive, mowing down Orioles hitters inning by inning. By the time the ninth inning rolled around, Belinsky had not allowed a single hit.

He got the Orioles in order in the top of the ninth, registering the first no-hitter in Angels history and the first and only no-hitter for Belinsky.

Ironically, later that year, Belinsky was the losing pitcher in Boston when Earl Wilson no-hit the Angels.

6. Clyde Wright: July 3, 1970

When the day started for Clyde Wright on Friday, July 3, 1970, he was first inducted into the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Hall of Fame.

Wright starred for Carson-Newman College and helped them win the NAIA College Baseball World Series title in 1965.

Wright was also facing the Oakland Athletics on that particular day as well. Using an effective array of what can best be described as junk, Wright no-hit the A’s, walking three and striking out just one along the way.

Wright went on to post the best season of his career, with a 22-12 record and 2.83 ERA and earning the only All-Star Game selection of his career.

5. Nolan Ryan: May 15, 1973

When the California Angels pulled off the trade that sent Jim Fregosi to the New York Mets for Nolan Ryan and three other players in December 1971, they were counting on a pitcher who showed an explosive fastball and tremendous promise.

The Angels saw a glimpse of that promise in 1972, when Ryan posted a record of 19-16 with a 2.28 ERA in 39 starts, striking out 329 batters in 284 innings.

On May 15, 1973, Ryan set out to face the Kansas City Royals in front of a sparse crowd of 12,205 fans at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City.

What the crowd witnessed on that day was the first of seven career no-hitters for Ryan. Ryan walked three and struck out 12.

4. Nolan Ryan: July 15, 1973

Two months to the day after California Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan had thrown the first no-hitter of his career, he took to the mound against the Detroit Tigers.

Facing a pretty solid Tigers lineup that included Norm Cash, Jim Northrop, Mickey Stanley and Aurelio Rodriguez,

Ryan once again showed off his stuff, striking out an incredible 17 Tigers while walking four. It was the second no-hitter for Ryan on the season, with both coming on the road.

In Ryan’s next start on July 19 against the Baltimore Orioles, Ryan came close to matching the back-to-back no-hitters thrown by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer in 1938.

Ryan went seven hitless innings until Orioles shortstop Mark Belanger finally broke through with a single in the top of the eighth.

3. Ervin Santana: July 27, 2011

When the game between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians first started on Wednesday afternoon, things didn’t look promising foe Angels starter Ervin Santana. An error, stolen base and wild pitch plated an Indians run in the bottom of the first inning.

However, Santana didn’t get rattled. He settled down, mowing down Indians hitters inning after inning, not allowing a baserunner until third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall walked with one out in the eighth.

Santana retired the next two batters, then set the Indians down in order in the bottom of the ninth, registering the first no-hitter of his career. Santana struck out 10, and his effort comes on the heels of his effort against the Baltimore Orioles on July 22, when Santana didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning.

This effort was special in that Santana could have come unglued with the error and wild pitch in the first inning, yet he stayed the course throughout the game.

2. Nolan Ryan: June 1, 1975

After the first two months of the 1975 season had been completed, the California Angels were three games under .500, mired in fifth place in the American League West.

One of the few bright spots to the season thus far had been the play of pitcher Nolan Ryan, who was 8-3 with a 2.70 ERA in his first 11 starts entering the June 1 game with the Baltimore Orioles.

Ryan was once again invincible on this day, striking out nine and walking four en route to his fourth no-hitter in three seasons, beating the Orioles 1-0.

It would be the last no-hitter that Ryan would throw in an Angels uniform.

1. Mike Witt, Sept. 30, 1984

On the final day of the regular season in 1984, the California Angels were playing out the string, having already been eliminated from the AL West title by the Kansas City Royals.

Young 23-year-old right-hander Mike Witt, who was completing his first full season as a starter for the Angels, took the mound against the Texas Rangers and knuckle-baller Charlie Hough.

Witt brought his A-game to Arlington Stadium on this final day of the regular season, mowing down hitter after hitter in the Rangers lineup. By the time the bottom of the ninth rolled around, Witt had set down 24 Rangers in order.

Taking the hill in the bottom of the ninth, Witt struck out Tom Dunbar and then induced groundball outs to both pinch-hitters Bobby Jones and Marv Foley, putting the finishing touches on the first perfect game in Angels history and just the 11th in Major League Baseball history.