Why the 2010s Are the Era of the No-Hitter

I don't know about you, but I'm wondering what's been going on in baseball over the past couple of weeks. Believe it or not, we've gone more than 14 days without a no-hitter. Weren't we supposed to get at least one per week? 

It's been far too long since MLB Network broke into special bonus coverage to show us a no-hitter in progress. My Twitter feed has missed people telling me I might want to switch over to a certain game because of what a pitcher is doing. I've also missed fellow baseball fans being coy about what's happening, trying to avoid the words "no-hitter" and whatever jinx comes with it.

With five hitless games already this season, baseball has already surpassed the three that were thrown last year. This has many people thinking that no-hitters just aren't as special an event as they used to be.

But no matter how often it occurs, preventing an entire major league lineup from getting a hit through nine full innings is still a tremendous accomplishment. 

Baseball had 15 no-hitters from 2000 to 2009. Over the past three years, there have already been 14. We're in the era of the no-hitter. But why is this happening? Here are the major factors that have changed the game in favor of the pitcher. 

The opposition is weaker

How many great lineups are there in baseball right now? The Rangers have a deep, formidable batting order. So do the Yankees. I would put the Cardinals on the list, too, but they're one of the teams that have been no-hit this season.

Every other team in MLB has holes in their lineup that pitchers can work through. The Angels, Tigers and Reds have great players that can put up big numbers. But those hitters can be pitched around, leaving their lineups vulnerable to being shut down.

The other four no-hit victims were seemingly easy targets. The Astros and Mariners are among the lower third of the league in team batting average, the Dodgers have trouble scoring any runs without Matt Kemp and the Twins are one of the lowest-scoring teams in baseball. 

Better defensive data

Managers and coaches have more information available to use against hitters than ever before. Defensive metrics and spray charts combined with traditional scouting reports tell teams where opposing batters tend to hit the ball, and fielders can be positioned accordingly.

Look how often defensive shifts are employed these days. It's almost become standard to see teams move a fielder to the right side of the infield against David Ortiz and leave a wide gap near third base. We are beginning to see such tactics employed versus right-handed hitters like Albert Pujols, too.

Gregor Blanco made a fantastic catch to preserve Matt Cain's perfect game. But as Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci explains, if Blanco hadn't already been positioned closer to the right-center gap, he may not have been able to make the play. 

Strikeouts don't matter

As a Tigers fan, I went nuts earlier this season when Brandon Inge said that strikeouts were "a stupid stat." Maybe Inge would be more successful if he didn't whiff 25 percent of the time.

However, that comment revealed the mentality of most big league hitters these days. Strikeouts are just another out. What matters is swinging as hard as possible and trying to attack the baseball. 

Striking out more than 100 times in a season isn't frowned upon anymore. It's almost expected now, even among the elite hitters. They're swinging away, and they will miss. But when hitters make contact, watch out. Good things will happen. Unfortunately, less contact is being made.

Yes, the steroid thing

It can't be a coincidence, can it? As MLB has strengthened its testing procedures for performance enhancing drugs, hitters aren't getting the help that they received just a few years ago.

Consequently, fewer players are putting up monster, 40-homer seasons and no one's surpassing the 50-homer mark. Inside pitches aren't being muscled over the infield. Injuries are taking longer to recover from.

With fewer hitters cranking out base hits and home runs, teams are placing a stronger emphasis on defense and run prevention. If lineups are going to score fewer runs, they need to prevent the opposition from scoring as well. That's obviously been helping pitchers.

Also, the greenies thing

Steroids testing has had a significant effect on hitters, but the ban on amphetamines from major league clubhouses has also made a difference. Players are more tired with games played night after night, and appearing in day games after night games is more difficult than ever. 

As the Angels' C.J. Wilson told the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin, the lack of amphetamines has hurt older players especially. They can't bounce back like they used to. Veterans can't find that boost to get them through the schedule. 

So teams filling out their rosters with younger, less expensive players who don't get as tired or break down as often. But with less experience, these younger hitters are often overwhelmed against major league pitching. And pitchers have taken advantage of that. 

Those pitches keep moving

Plenty of guys throw serious heat nowadays. Virtually every team has at least one arm that throws close to 100 mph. But the emphasis is on movement.

More pitchers are employing two-seam fastballs with sinking action that induces batters to hit ground balls. Teams have emphasized this sort of approach in an effort to save young arms and lengthen careers. 

Then there's the cut fastball. Chipper Jones told ESPN's Buster Olney that the pitch was "the bane of my existence." More pitchers are throwing the cutter than ever before. Mariano Rivera has established a Hall of Fame career with it, while Cliff Lee and Colby Lewis are among the many hurlers who have completely changed their fortunes with the pitch. 

Hitters are seeing fewer pitches in the middle of the plate. The fat part of the bat—the sweet spot—isn't making full contact with the baseball. And batters don't have an answer for that.

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