How Many Times Have the Guardians Been No-Hit? (Full History of No-Hitters Allowed)
Though no-hitters in baseball are known for their rareness, it seems the Cleveland Guardians can't stop avoiding them. On Aug. 1, 2023, Cleveland was no-hit once again, this time by the Houston Astros. It marked the fifth time the franchise has been held hitless in a game since 2021, making this one very unfortunate trend.
After being on the wrong side of several recent no-hitters, it's caused fans to wonder about the team's all-time history with these displays.
How Many Times Have the Guardians Been No-Hit?
Throughout Cleveland's history as an MLB franchise, the team has been no-hit a total of 15 times. This includes the club's time as the Bluebirds (1901-1902), Naps (1903-1914), Indians (1915-2021) and Guardians (2022-present). The first time Cleveland was no-hit occurred on May 12, 1910, as Charles Bender of the Philadelphia Athletics went the distance and held the then-Naps hitless.
Since 2021, the Guardians have been no-hit four times over a complete nine-inning game. They were also held hitless in a seven-inning contest (the first matchup of a double-header) on July 7, 2021, though MLB doesn't fully recognize this as a no-hitter. Regardless, Cleveland has posted zero hits in five games since the 2021 season.
The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox are tied for the most no-hitters thrown against the Guardians all-time at three each. No pitcher has ever participated in more than one no-hitter against Cleveland, and no perfect games has been thrown against them in the World Series era.
Meanwhile, the Guardians' franchise touts 14 official no-hitters in its history. Two of those were pefect games, as Addie Ross accomplished the remarkable feat on Oct. 2, 1908, against the White Sox, and Len Barker followed him on May 15, 1981, versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Barker's perfect performance remains the team's last no-hitter of any kind.
List of No-Hitters Against the Guardians All-Time
The Guardians have been no-hit 15 times in nine-inning games all-time. They were also held hitless in a seven-inning contest in July 2021, though that no-hitter isn't officially recognized by MLB. Check out the full list of MLB-recognized no-hitters thrown against Cleveland all-time below:
Date | Opponent | Pitcher(s) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
May 12, 1910 | Philadelphia Athletics | Charles Bender | Athletics 4, Naps 0 |
May 31, 1914 | Chicago White Sox | Joe Benz | White Sox 6, Naps 1 |
August 26, 1916 | Philadelphia Athletics | Joe Bush | Athletics 5, Naps 0 |
August 31, 1935 | Chicago White Sox | Vern Kennedy | White Sox 5, Indians 0 |
August 27, 1938 | New York Yankees | Monte Pearson | Yankees 13, Indians 0 |
July 12, 1951 | New York Yankees | Allie Reynolds | Yankees 1, Indians 0 |
September 16, 1965 | Boston Red Sox | Dave Morehead | Red Sox 2, Indians 0 |
August 25, 1967 | Minnesota Twins | Dean Chance | Twins 2, Indians 1 |
September 2, 1990 | Toronto Blue Jays | Dave Stieb | Blue Jays 3, Indians 0 |
September 4, 1993 | New York Yankees | Jim Abbott | Yankees 4, Indians 0 |
July 27, 2011 | Los Angeles Angels | Ervin Santana | Angels 3, Indians 1 |
April 14, 2021 | Chicago White Sox | Carlos Rodon | White Sox 8, Indians 0 |
May 7, 2021 | Cincinnati Reds | Wade Miley | Reds 3, Indians 0 |
September 11, 2021 | Milwaukee Brewers | Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader | Brewers 3, Indians 0 |
August 1, 2023 | Houston Astros | Framber Valdez | Astros 2, Guardians 0 |
Who has Been No-Hit the Most in MLB History?
The Guardians' 15 no-hitters allowed are ugly, but there are actually four franchises that have been no-hit more often than Cleveland:
- Philadelphia Phillies (21)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (20)
- Atlanta Braves (17)
- San Francisco Giants (16)
- Cleveland Guardians, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles (15)