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Yankees’ Corey Kluber Throws No- Hitter vs. Rangers; MLB's 2nd No-Hitter in 2 Days
May 20, 2021
One night after Detroit Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull tossed the fifth no-hitter of the 2021 MLB season, New York Yankees star Corey Kluber joined the club with a 2-0 victory over the Texas Rangers in which he gave up no hits and just one walk while striking out nine.
With Kluber's feat, MLB is now one away from tying the modern era record of seven individual no-hitters in a season. All well before June.
In fact, it's the first time since 1917 MLB has seen more than five no-hitters before June. After Turnbull's accomplishment in Seattle, baseball was on pace for 19 no-hitters in 2021. That number continues to rise. The all-time MLB record remains at eight no-hitters, which were completed during the 1884. Seven no-hitters were thrown during the 1990, 1991 and 2012 campaigns.
Kluber needed just 100 pitches to finish off the Rangers at Globe Life Field on Wednesday and complete the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history.
Jeff Passan @JeffPassanNew York Yankees starter Corey Kluber just finished the sixth no-hitter of the 2021 season, shutting down Texas. The first of his awesome career.<br><br>It’s the second no-hitter inside of 24 hours and brings the 2021 total to within one of the record seven for an entire season. Wow.
He joins John Means, Carlos Rodon, Joe Musgrove, Wade Miley and Turnbull among hurlers to go a full nine innings without giving up a hit.
Kluber, who attended high school in the Dallas suburb of Coppell, is the first Yankees starter to toss a no-hitter since David Cone threw a perfect game against the Montreal Expos in 1999.
It's the second no-hitter thrown against the Rangers this year after the club was previously no-hit by Musgrove and the San Diego Padres on April 9 and the 311th no-hitter thrown in MLB history.
Already a two-time American League Cy Young-winner, Kluber's no-hitter felt unlikely if only because the idea of the righty consistently throwing in later innings seemed far-fetched to begin with at this point in his career.
The Yankees signed the veteran on a one-year, $11 million deal in January to help fill out the rotation after two injury-plagued seasons that threatened to cut his time in the Majors short. In 2019, Kluber battled through a fractured arm and an abdomen ailment. He made just seven starts for Cleveland that year, but none after May 1.
Kluber wouldn't step on a Major League mound again until July 26, 2020 for the same Texas Rangers club he no-hit on Wednesday.
Despite trading Delino DeShields Jr. and closer Emmanuel Clase to Cleveland for Kluber and cash, the three-time All-Star lasted just one inning as a Ranger before a torn teres major muscle ended his season early for the second consecutive year.
Wednesday was a return to form for Kluber with a third-inning walk to Charlie Culberson serving as the only blemish on an otherwise perfect night.
The 35-year-old had previously taken a no-hitter into the seventh inning with 18 strikeouts in 2015. With half the amount of Ks in nine innings against Texas, Kluber checked off another box on his ever-growing resume and moved MLB to the brink of tying one of its longest standing records.