Major League Baseball

Why no-hitters matter more than ever in 2022

Published May. 19, 2022 8:42 p.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

At a time when pitchers are dominating, batting averages are at an all-time low and no-hitters are flirted with seemingly every other week, it begs the question: Do no-hitters still matter?

There have been 316 no-hitters thrown in the history of Major League Baseball. Of those, 299 have come via a single pitcher, and the other 17 were combined no-hitters.

That breakdown might surprise you. And if it seems like many of the no-hitters being thrown lately are of the combined variety, it's because they are. In fact, there have been six combined no-no's in the past four seasons.

And of course, in 2021, we saw a total of nine no-hitters across MLB, a single-season record.

With no-hitters becoming more and more commonplace, it's easy to wonder if they are still a big deal, if a no-hitter is still so impressive.

Watch "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" on YouTube, or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.

The most recent no-hitter happened May 10, when Reid Detmers, the 22-year-old Angels left-hander, accomplished the feat. I was in attendance that night at Angel Stadium, and it was the first no-hitter I’ve witnessed in person (aside from the one I threw in high school, of course).

It was, without a doubt, an electric atmosphere in the stadium from about the fifth inning on.

With every out, the buzz got louder. Every time Detmers reemerged from the dugout, the fans would erupt. The game was a blowout from early on, but that mattered to no one.

That night, everyone knew they were witnessing history. And you know what? It didn’t matter how many no-hitters had been thrown the season before, and it didn’t matter if there had been a combined no-hitter just a few days prior.

It was magical.

Angels' rookie Reid Detmers throws a no-hitter

Ben Verlander talks about witnessing Los Angeles Angels rookie Reid Detmers' no-hitter, the first Ben has witnessed in person.

With a score of 12-0 and two outs in the ninth, the crowd was on its feet and screaming (as was I). Then there was a ground ball to short, followed by a good throw to first, and that was it — a no-hitter.

Angel Stadium was shaking.

People walked out of the stadium in tears of joy, high-fiving one another, taking pictures with the field in the background — all because of the historic performance they had witnessed.

So here's what I think: In today’s game, a no-hitter thrown by a single pitcher is even more impressive.

Yes, it’s true, pitchers are so dominant today, and offense can be tough to come by. But it's also true that only rarely do starting pitchers see the eighth inning, much less the ninth. And in the age of pitch limits, innings limits and openers, a complete game is rarer than ever.

So you better believe that the second I hear a pitcher is flirting with a no-hitter, I’m tuning in. Even if no-hitters come around a little more often, it’s never lost on me just how difficult and impressive a feat it is.

No matter how many times it happens, and no matter how often, the act of a pitcher going out on the mound and getting 27 outs without allowing a hit will never not be special.

So next time you see a potential no-hitter, make sure you turn it on, and don't ever let it not impress you.

But most of all: Don’t jinx it!

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.