Ervin Santana No-Hitter: The 12 Most Improbable No-Hitters in Baseball History

Six years ago, on May 18, 2005, a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher made his major league debut for the Anaheim Angels at Jacobs Field against the Cleveland Indians.

After Angels DH Steve Finley drove home 1B Darin Erstad to give the rookie a 1-0 lead, Ervin Santana took the mound to throw his first pitches in the majors.

Santana would not fare well, allowing the first four batters he faced to reach base and giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. He would only last four innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and walking three while only striking out one.

Fast forward to today, and Ervin Santana, now 28 years old and having allowed nearly a hit an inning throughout his career—1,208 innings pitched, 1,204 hits allowed—returns to the scene of his major league debut and throws the first no-hitter of his career in a 4-1 victory over the Indians.

Santana's remarkable performance is the third no-hitter of the 2011 season and first for the Angels in 22 years. On April 11, 1990, Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined on a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners en route to a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Congratulations to Ervin Santana.

Now be honest, and if you are a relative of Ervin Santana or an employee of the Angels, you are ineligible to vote.

How many people thought that Ervin Santana had a shot to throw a no-hitter this season?

Anyone?

I think I see a hand in the back there...sir?

Oh, you're stretching. My mistake.

Nobody expected this from Santana.

There have been over 220 no-hitters thrown since 1900, and lo-and-behold, there were others even more surprising then what Santana accomplished today.

After the jump, 12 other pitchers who baffled the opposition and boggled our minds with incredible pitching performances

 

*Please note, I am not ranking these in order of most probable to least probable, just listing them in a random order. If you want to take a crack at ranking them, feel free to do so in comments.*

Nolan Ryan, Texas Rangers, May 1, 1991

You may be asking how I can include a man who has thrown more no-hitters then anyone else in baseball history on a list of improbable no-hitters.

Have I lost my mind?

It's possible.

But Nolan Ryan was 44 years old when he threw the seventh.

Yes, he had thrown No. 6 the previous season, but nobody expected that he would be able to do it again.

Especially when he was coming off of a terrible performance against the Minnesota Twins five days earlier, giving up five runs and eight hits in a 9-1 Rangers loss.

But as the calendar flipped to May, Ryan turned it on.

A first inning walk of Kelly Gruber and a seventh inning walk of Joe Carter would be the only blemishes on the "Ryan Express" that day, as the strikeout king would ring up 16 strikeouts against the Blue Jays, including three of 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Roberto Alomar, getting him to swing and miss to end the game.

Ryan's seven no-hitters is yet another accomplishment in his own Hall of Fame career that pitchers will have a hard time coming close to.

Johnny Vander Meer, Cincinnati Reds, June 15, 1938

Entering his second season as a major league pitcher, 22-year-old lefty Johnny Vander Meer took the mound against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that initially signed him as a free agent in 1933.

Only days earlier on June 11, Vander Meer threw a no-hitter in front of Cincinnati fans at Crosley Field, beating the Boston Braves 3-0, walking three and striking out four.

Nobody expected that the youngster would be able to reproduce the same results against the Dodgers, and he did not...sort of.

In the first night game played at Ebbets Field, Vander Meer would baffle the Dodgers batters. That is, when he was not giving them free passes to first base. The talented lefty walked eight Dodgers while striking out seven as the Reds would best the Dodgers 6-0.

But did he allow any hits?

Vander Meer did indeed pitch another no-hitter, becoming the only major league pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters in history, a feat that remains virtually impossible to duplicate.

Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins, May 3, 2011

Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2007, Francisco Liriano has struggled to harness his unmistakable talent and regain the form that made him one of the most electrifying pitchers to burst onto the scene in the past 10 years.

After showing signs of life in 2010 when he finished 14-10 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over nearly 200 innings pitched, many had high hopes for the Minnesota Twins 27-year-old left-handed hurler.

Unfortunately for Liriano, his 2011 did not go as hoped.

He finished his five starts in April with his worst outing of the season, giving up seven runs and six hits over only three innings while walking four as the Twins lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 8-2.

Liriano entered May with a 1-4 record, 9.13 ERA, and questions as to whether or not he even belonged in the major leagues running rampant.

As he took the mound at US Cellular Field in Chicago against the White Sox, Liriano was certainly replaying his previous start over in his mind.

He would struggle with his command all afternoon and entering the ninth inning had walked five batters.

After getting White Sox 3B Brent Morel to line out weakly to SS, Liriano walked speedster Juan Pierre for the third time, making both Twins fans and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire fear the worst—that Liriano was about to implode and hand their division rival a victory.

Somehow, he was able to buckle down, getting Alexi Ramirez and Adam Dunn to hit the ball on the fly to SS Matt Tolbert, who snagged Dunn's line drive to secure Liriano's first career no-hitter and first career complete game.

The feat would also be the Twins first no-hitter in 12 years, with the last being thrown by Eric Milton on Sept.11, 1999 against the Anaheim Angels.

Don Larsen, New York Yankees, Oct. 8, 1956

Prior to joining the New York Yankees in 1955, Don Larsen was a loser for the Baltimore Orioles.

A big loser.

In his two years in Baltimore, Larsen would go 11-35 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, culminating with his 3-21 season in 1954.

Acquired from the Orioles in November of 1954 along with Bob Turley and some nondescript players in exchange for a handful of even more nondescript players not worth mentioning, Larsen began to turn things around in 1955.

He would become the fourth starter for the Yankees in a season that saw them lose the World Series to the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games.

Larsen's 1955 World Series appearance against Brooklyn would be short and ugly—in four innings, the 25-year-old righty would give up five runs and five hits over four innings while walking two in a 8-5 Dodgers victory.

So when the World Series rolled around in 1956, where once again the Yankees and Dodgers were pitted against each other, surely his previous World Series experience came to mind.

Against a lineup full of iconic players—Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella and Pee Wee Reese—nobody expected Larsen to last the entire game, much less hold the "Bums" scoreless.

But Larsen exceeded expectations, not only keeping the Dodgers from crossing home plate but not allowing any of them to reach first base.

Behind a fourth inning solo-shot by Mickey Mantle and a sixth inning RBI single by Hank Bauer, Larsen would strike out seven Dodgers en route to becoming the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in postseason play and up until last year, was the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter in postseason play.

Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies accomplished that feat in October of 2010 in the first game of the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Kent Mercker, Atlanta Braves, April 8, 1994

Kent Mercker was a relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves from the time he joined the club in 1989 until September of 1991. Mercker was reliable and effective, but not overpowering and never gave anyone the impression that he was capable of becoming a shutdown starting pitcher.

On Sept. 11, 1991, the 23-year-old would make his second career start against the San Diego Padres.

The Padres were a team with a lineup that was capable of racking up hits in a hurry with Tony Fernandez, Fred McGriff and some guy named Tony Gwynn their three biggest weapons.

Mercker would go six innings, allowing no hits and striking out six while only walking two. Mark Wohlers would pitch two innings, and Alejandro Pena would come on in the ninth inning for the Braves and lock down the combined no-hitter for the Braves trio.

Fast forward to 1994, and Mercker, now the Braves fifth starter, takes the mound against the Tommy Lasorda-led Los Angeles Dodgers, who featured a then 25-year-old catcher named Mike Piazza on April 8.

Mercker would out-do his previous performance in 1991, this time going the distance in a 6-0 Braves victory. He would walk four while striking out 10 Dodgers, including the aforementioned Piazza three times.

Not only is it amazing that Kent Mercker has two no-hitters to his credit, but he has more no-hitters under his belt then three other pitchers who made their mark with the Braves organization combined.

Who?

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, three future Hall of Fame members who combined have a total of zero no-hitters to their credit.

Dock Ellis, Pittsburgh Pirates, June 12, 1970

Dock Ellis pitched a complete game no-hitter while on LSD.

Some people know how impossible this would be to do on a "head full of acid;" some have no frame of reference.

Six days prior to this on June 6, Ellis was shelled by the Los Angeles Dodgers, lasting only 4.2 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits while walking four.

On June 12, Ellis took the mound against the San Diego Padres.

To be honest, I do not know if my words can do the feat justice. Take five minutes out of your day and watch the attached animated piece, which is narrated by the one and only Dock Ellis.

Nobody can tell it better then the man who lived it.

Jim Abbott, New York Yankees, Sept. 4, 1993

Jim Abbott could be the most impressive pitcher the game has ever seen.

Born in 1967 missing his right hand, Abbott did not allow his disability to derail his dreams of playing professional baseball.

After excelling at the University of Michigan and for the United States Olympic Baseball Team during the 1988 Summer Olympics, Abbott would become the first-round pick of the California Angels and make his major league debut in 1989.

In the winter of 1992, Abbott would be traded to the New York Yankees for Jerry Nielsen, Russ Springer and J.T. Snow.

Fast forward to Sept. 4, 1993, and Abbott is about to take the mound for the Yankees coming off of his worst start of the season, a 3.2 inning disaster that saw him allow seven runs and 10 hits to the Cleveland Indians.

Who is Abbott's opponent this day?

Who else but the Cleveland Indians, with Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle, Jim Thome and the man who would become the bane of Yankee fans existence, Manny Ramirez.

Abbott exacted his revenge against the Indians, and while he walked five and only struck out three, he kept the Indians from recording a base hit, further endearing himself to baseball fans and people who love a "feel-good story" around the world.

Did I mention he did this with one hand?

Impressive indeed.

Tommy Greene, Philadelphia Phillies, May 23, 1991

Entering the 1991 season, Tommy Greene, a veteran of four major league seasons, boasted a career record of 7-8, a career ERA of 5.44 and a total of 121 innings pitched.

Not exactly starting pitcher material, it's arguable that he was even major league material at that point.

So when he took the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Montreal Expos on May 23, 1991, nobody expected him to do well.

The Expos were a mediocre team but one who had some talent in the lineup. Delino DeShields, Marquis Grissom, Andres Galaragga and Larry Walker all called Montreal home.

Greene, much like others who we have looked at earlier, struggled with his command, walking seven Expos. But he managed to strike out 10, including Andres Galaragga to lead off the ninth inning.

After getting Larry Walker to ground out to 3B Charlie Hayes, Tim Wallach would hit a line drive right at Phillies 1B Ricky Jordan, who snagged the ball and Greene's place in history.

Juan Nieves, Milwaukee Brewers, April 15, 1987

Juan Nieves only pitched for three seasons in the majors, 1986 to 1988, all for the Milwaukee Brewers.

A talented lefty, in his second start of the 1987 season against the Baltimore Orioles, led by Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray, Nieves would no-hit the Orioles while walking five and striking out seven en route to a 7-0 Brewers victory.

Nieves became the second youngest pitcher in baseball history to throw a no-hitter, the first in Brewers history and the first Puerto Rican in baseball history to accomplish the feat.

A nasty arm injury halfway through his 1988 season would ultimately end his playing career.

Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore, Boston Red Sox, June 23, 1917

In the first game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, Babe Ruth takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox.

With Brick Owens calling balls and strikes at home plate, Ruth throws four consecutive balls to Senators leadoff hitter Ray Morgan.

Ruth loses his mind, punches Owens in the face and finds himself ejected from the game.

Reliever Eddie Shore enters the game, picks Morgan off of first base and proceeds to send down the next 26 Senators that come to the plate.

Initially Shore would be credited with a perfect game, but it would later be changed to a "combined no-hitter" that he has to share with Babe Ruth.

Hoyt Wilhelm, Baltimore Orioles, Sept. 20, 1958

Hoyt Wilhelm made his mark as a solid relief pitcher for the New York Giants from 1952 to 1956. He would spend 1957 and 1958 floundering in stints with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians before the Baltimore Orioles picked him up off of waivers in August of 1958.

Prior to joining the Orioles, Wilhelm had appeared in 433 games. He had started six times, none before the age of 35.

When the Orioles acquired him, Wilhelm was regarded as being "over the hill" and no longer effective.

But Wilhelm was not in agreement.

Taking the mound against a Yankees lineup that included Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Moose Skowron and Bobby Richardson, Wilhelm was spectacular.

Walks to Bobby Richardson and Jerry Lumpe would be the only way the Yankees reached base, as Wilhelm shut down the powerful offense, striking out eight and earning the first and only no-hitter of his career.

Bobo Holloman, St. Louis Browns, May 6, 1953

Bobo Holloman was an awful pitcher who probably never should have lasted as long as he did in the major leagues.

He lasted all of 22 games, all with the St. Louis Browns in 1953 as a 30-year-old rookie.

In his first career start against the Philadelphia Athletics, Bobo walked five A's while striking out three.

But Bobo did not allow a hit, though he himself went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Bobo did it all that day and was out of the major leagues before the end of July.

Closing Thoughts

With well over 200 no-hitters in baseball history, selecting 12 improbable ones was a daunting task.

There are literally dozens of pitchers who could have made this list.

Andy Hawkins threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1989 and lost 4-0, only to have Fay Vincent change the rules and screw him out of a no-no.

Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza and AJ Burnett were all incredibly close to being included as well.

Did I leave off a no-hitter you think should have made the list?

Let's hear about it.