No No-Hitters, But the Padres Have Come Close

Philip Hmber became just the 21st Major League player to throw a perfect game.  It’s an incredible feat.  It’s so rare, it would be foolish to expect the Padres to have had a player accomplish said feat.  However, no-hitters are slightly less rare.  There have been 273 no-hitters thrown in baseball history.  That’s still rare, but not so rare to think a franchise that’s been around since 1969 couldn’t have one in their record books.  But the fact is, the Padres are one of just three teams to never have a no-hitter in their history (Mets, Royals).  They’ve come close on occasion though.  In fact, they’ve thrown 25 one-hitters in their history.  Here are some of the more memorable one-hitters:

July 9, 2011

Perhaps the most famous (infamous?) near-no-hitter in Padres history.  Playing the rival Dodgers, the Padres

combined to hold the Dodgers scoreless through 8 2/3 innings.  Aaron Harang no-hit the Dodgers for six innings, then Padres relievers continued the feat for an addition 2 2/3 innings.  In the ninth, though, with the score knotted at 0.  Juan Uribe broke the no-hitter up, and the Dodgers managed a run in the ninth to win it.  Even had the Padres pitched nine innings of no-hit ball, it would not have been an official no-hitter unless they finished the game without allowing a hit.  Had the Dodgers not scored with two outs in the ninth, there’s no way of knowing if San Diego would have been able to muster up the offense to pull out a win, and the Padres would have had to at least pitch 10 innings of no-hit ball to enter themselves in the record books.  It was an improbable pitching performance, if not because it took four relievers, because the Padres offense was so futile.

May 13, 2010

The Padres were facing the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco.  Mat Latos was on the hill.  At the time, the Padres were getting hot.  They would soon have the best record in baseball.  But on this day, it was all about Latos. Latos pitched 5 1/3 perfect innings.  In the bottom of the fifth, the Giants’ lone hit came in the most innocuous of ways.  Eli Whiteside hit a line drive back at Latos.  It bounced off him toward third where Chase Headley charged hard, bare-handed it, and fired to first.  Whiteside beat the through by a step.  That was it.  Perfect game, gone.  No-hitter, gone.  Latos finished the game with six strikeouts, the one hit, and no walks.

September 22, 2006

It’s a question for the ages: Is it better to lose a no-hitter early in the game and finish with one hit allowed, or is it better to give up that lone hit in the ninth?  I’m not sure there is a consensus, but Chris Young experienced the ninth inning hit pain in 2006.  Young was dealing in the game.  He had pitched 8 1/3 innings of no-hit ball.  The San Diego crowd was electric.  But Joe Randa, pinch-hitting, stepped to the plate a drove a 3-1 pitch into the bleachers to break-up the no-hitter.  Young got the win, but the shut-out was gone and the no-

hitter was gone.

May 30, 2006

This was the first of Chris Young’s two near-no-hit performances in the 2006 season.  He tossed 7 innings of no-hit ball against the Rockies.  In the 8th, the lead-off hitter, Brad Hawpe, hit a double to break it up.  The Padres were still in the early parts of defending their National League West crown from the year before, and their pitching was helping them do it.  Chris Young finished the game with 8 innings of one-hit ball.  Trevor Hoffman actually gave up another hit in the ninth, so the game doesn’t fall into the record books as one of the franchise’s many one-hitters.

April 30, 1986

Mark Thurmond pitched the game of his life on this night in 1986.  In front of less than 17,000 fans, Thurmond threatened to make history for the Padres organization.  He was perfect through 6 1/3 innings.  Then, Cardinals center fielder Willie McGee blooped a single just out of anyone’s reach.  It was the only hit of the game.  Thurmond would finish out the came with a shut-out, one hit, one walks, and four strikeouts.  A little over two months later the Padres would trade Thurmond to the Tigers.

July 30, 1984

The year brings back instant memories.  A National League Pennant, a World Series run, and one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history.  During the year, the Padres once again came close to a no-hitter but had to settle for a one-hitter.  In front of 40,568, Dave Dravecky tossed a complete game, one-hit shut out against the Dodgers.  Dravecky had gone 6 1/3 innings of no-hit ball when Bill Russell, the Dodgers’ second baseman/utility man, doubled for the Dodgers first and only hit of the game.  It was a rout, but Dravecky and the Padres had to settle for yet another one-hitter.

*While the Padres have yet to throw a no-hitter in their history, they have been no-hit seven times since the team joined MLB in 1969.  

For all your Padres news and discussions follow us on Twitter @ChickenFriars, follow me on Twitter@the5_5Hole, and like our Facebook page.