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May 19, 2021

No-Hitters On Consecutive Days Give MLB Six No-Hitters In The Past Seven Weeks
Also: There Have Been Four No-Hitters In The Last 15 Days (Which Is Not A Record)

At this rate, we're going to end up with more than 20 no-hitters this season.

Corey Kluber of the Yankees threw the sixth no-hitter of the 2021 season last night, less than 24 hours after the fifth no-hitter was in the books. In the NL/AL era (since 1901), the most no-hitters in a season has been is seven, which has happened four times: 1990, 1991, 2012, 2015. 

Kluber's gem obliterates the record for the earliest date of a season's sixth no-hitter by more than a month, though, the two seasons did not start on the same day. Opening Day was April 11 in 1917 and April 1 in 2021. The sixth no-hitter of 1917 came on June 23*, in the Red Sox's 56th game. Kluber's no-hitter came in the Yankees' 43rd game. 

*: That was the game in which Babe Ruth walked the first batter, punched the plate umpire, and was ejected; Ernie Shore came in, the runner was thrown out trying to steal, and Shore retired 26 consecutive batters.

With four no-hitters (so far) this month, May 2021 becomes the second calendar month in major league history with four no-hitters, joining June 1990:

June  2: Randy Johnson, Mariners
June 11: Nolan Ryan, Texas
June 29: Dave Stewart, Athletics
June 29: Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers

As I recall, those two games on Friday, June 29 were the featured games on ESPN at 7:30 and 10:30 PM ET, respectively. That was a big coincidence. (Sorry, Rava.)

This is the first time in major league history that three different teams have been no-hit twice in same season.

April 9  Joe Musgrove, Padres at Texas:        9-0-0-0-10, 112 (3-0)
April 14 Carlos Rodon, White Sox vs Cleveland: 9-0-0-0- 7, 114 (8-0)
May 5    John Means, Orioles at Mariners:      9-0-0-0-12, 113 (6-0)
May 7    Wade Miley, Reds at Cleveland:        9-0-0-1- 8, 114 (3-0)
May 18   Spencer Turnbull, Tigers at Mariners: 9-0-0-2- 9, 117 (5-0)
May 19   Corey Kluber, Yankees at Texas:       9-0-0-1- 9, 101 (2-0)

Sportsnet pointed out that Texas is paying Kluber one million dollars this season following an offseason buyout, which casts Kluber's role last night as a non-sexual humiliatrix.

The last four no-hitters have come in the last 15 days. In 1917, four no-hitters were pitched in a 13-day span (April 24 through May 6).

No-hitters have been pitched on consecutive days six times in major league history:

August 19-20, 1880    (CHC Larry Corcoran & BUF Pud Galvin)
September 19-20, 1882 (LVL Guy Hecker & CHC Larry Corcoran)
May 5-6, 1917         (SLB Ernie Koob & SLB Bob Groom)
September 17-18, 1968 (SFG Gaylord Perry & STL Ray Washburn)
April 30-May 1, 1969  (CIN Jim Maloney & HOU Don Wilson)
May 18-19, 2021       (DET Spencer Turnbull & NYY Corey Kluber)

You will note that the 1917 no-hitters were both by the Browns. On May 5, Ernie Koob no-hit the White Sox 1-0 and on May 6, Bob Groom no-hit the White Sox 3-0. However, Groom's start was in the second game of a doubleheader, so the White Sox were not no-hit in back-to-back games. They had eight hits in Sunday's first game, but still lost 8-4.

It's like the Post's headline writer wasn't sure which Yankee pitcher it was and played it safe:



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