In over a century of Major League Baseball, you have had 277 chances to witness a no-hitter. Actually, unless you were born in the late 1800s, you’ve probably had closer to 88 chances, even less if your baseball fandom, like mine, began just a few years ago.
Of those 277 no-hitters, 39 have happened in the same ballpark in the same season. It’s kind of like a do-over. If you missed Philip Humber’s perfecto on April 21, 2012, you had the chance to return to Safeco Field on June 8 for the Mariners’ first combined no-hitter in club history.
Limiting the pool of ballparks to those still in use, you might’ve seen as many as 71 no-hitters in 21 parks, 12 of which have recorded more than one. Only four, however, have hosted multiple no-hitters in a single season: Fenway Park (1916, 1917), Wrigley Field (1972), Tropicana Field (2010), and Safeco Field (2012).
Aside from upping your chances of witnessing one, ballpark atmosphere may seem inconsequential in the construction of a no-hitter. However, of the 19 seasons with multiple no-nos in a single park, 25 of 39 games have gone to the home team. From 2001-2012, seasonal park factors indicate a strong tendency towards the most pitcher-friendly parks, with allowed runs ranging from 0.625-0.819 per game and allowed hits from 0.745-0.906.
Back to you for a second. Had you been a fan of the visiting team and missed their first no-hitter, you might’ve had a chance to attend a rematch. Six times, a no-hitter was replayed between the same two teams in the same year: Reds-Phillies in 1971, Reds-Astros in 1969, Giants-Cardinals in 1968, Braves-Phillies in 1960, Browns-White Sox in 1917, and Tigers-Browns in 1912. Most impressively, the St. Louis Browns hosted three no-hitters against the Chicago White Sox in 1917. While the Sox came away with their first win on April 14, the Browns retaliated with back-to-back no-nos on May 5 and 6.
Since then, the only no-hitter to be repeated in the same year was a Braves-Phillies match-up in 1960. The Braves, then situated in Milwaukee County Stadium, took two no-nos against the Phillies on August 18 and September 16. Both were caught by Del Crandall—who, I might add, went 2-for-4 in both games with four base hits—and both featured complete game performances from the losing pitchers, Gene Conley and John Buzhardt.
Given the rarity of no-hitters, it is impossible to project a repeat of, say, the Giants-Astros meeting earlier this season. But, stranger things have happened. Allie Reynolds tossed two no-nos in 1951. Candlestick Park saw consecutive no-hitters between the Giants and Cardinals on September 17 and 18, 1968. Fenway Park has 13 no-hitters notched on its 100-year-old belt.
Hang onto your rally caps, Twins, Cardinals, and Astros fans. Your second no-hitter may be just around the corner.
Follow the jump for the complete list of ballparks that have hosted multiple no-hitters in a single season (mid-June, on partially cloudy Thursdays, during games boasting an attendance of 22,640 or higher):
Safeco Field (2012)
Tropicana Field (2010)
Qualcomm Stadium (2001)
Wrigley Field (1972)
Riverfront Stadium (1971)
Crosley Field (1969)
Candlestick Park (1968)
Milwaukee County Stadium (1960)
Ebbets Field (1956)
Yankee Stadium (1951)
Shibe Park (1923)
Sportsman Park (1917)
Fenway Park (1917, 1916)
Polo Grounds IV (1915)
Tiger Stadium (1912)
League Park (1908)
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1904)
Jefferson Street Grounds (1888)