List of Chicago Cubs no-hitters


The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball franchise based in Chicago. They play in the National League Central division. Also known in their early years as the "Chicago White Stockings", "Chicago Colts", and "Chicago Orphans", pitchers for the Cubs have thrown 15 no-hitters in franchise history. A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only "when a pitcher allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings". No-hitters of fewer than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 changed the rule to its current form.
No Cubs pitcher has yet pitched a perfect game. The closest performance came on September 2, 1972, when Milt Pappas lost his perfect game bid against the San Diego Padres with two outs in the ninth by allowing a walk to Larry Stahl on a 3–2 count; he retired the next batter to finish the no-hitter. During that at-bat, he was ahead of the batter with a 0–2 count before throwing four straight close pitches to allow the walk.
Larry Corcoran threw the first no-hitter in Cubs history on August 19, 1880; the most recent no-hitter was thrown by Jake Arrieta on April 21, 2016. Two left-handed pitchers have thrown no-hitters in franchise history while nine were by right-handers. Corcoran, Arrieta, and Ken Holtzman are the only pitchers in Cubs history to throw more than one no-hitter. Corcoran threw three and Arrieta and Holtzman threw two.
On July 31, 1910, King Cole of the Cubs pitched all seven innings in a 4–0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, without giving up a hit. The second game of a doubleheader, the teams had agreed to end the game at 5 p.m. so they could catch their trains. Due to a 1991 change to the official MLB definition of a no-hitter—it must last at least nine innings—Cole's effort is not recognized by as a no-hitter by MLB and does not appear on the below list.
Ten no-hitters were thrown at home and five on the road. Two occurred in April, two in May, two in June, one in July, five in August, and three in September. A different umpire presided over each of the franchise's 15 no-hitters. Nine different managers led the team during the franchise's 15 no-hitters.
The longest interval between no-hitters was between the games pitched by Jimmy Lavender and Sam Jones, encompassing 39 years, 8 months, and 12 days from August 31, 1915, until May 12, 1955. The shortest interval in days between no-hitters was between the games pitched by Burt Hooton and Milt Pappas, encompassing four months and sixteen days from April 16, 1972, until September 2, 1972. The shortest interval in games between no-hitters was between the games pitched by Jake Arrieta on August 30, 2015, and April 21, 2016, 49 regular-season games.
Cubs pitchers have thrown two no-hitters against the Atlanta Braves and their predecessors – one by Corcoran in 1880 and one by Holtzman in 1969. They also threw two no-hitters against the Cincinnati Reds: Holtzman in 1971, Arrieta in 2016.
The Cubs have not allowed a run in any of their no-hitters. The most baserunners allowed in a no-hitter was seven each by Jones and Hooton. Of the fifteen no-hitters, four have been won by a score of 4–0, more than any other score. The largest margin of victory in a no-hitter was a 16–0 win by Arrieta in 2016. The smallest margin of victory was a 1–0 win by Holtzman in 1971.
In the 1990 film Taking Care of Business, the no-hitters thrown by Burt Hooton and Milt Pappas during the 1972 season are the subject of a radio trivia contest that sets up the film's plot, which features the Cubs playing in the World Series.

List of no-hitters in Cubs history

#DatePitcherFinal scoreBase-
runners		OpponentCatcherPlate umpireManagerNotesRef
1 6–04Boston Red Caps
  • First no-hitter in franchise history
  • First no-hitter at home in franchise history
  • First right-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
2 5–04Worcester Ruby Legs
  • Latest calendar date of franchise's no-hitter
  • First pitcher to throw two no-hitters
    • 3 6–05Providence Grays
  • First pitcher to throw three no-hitters, the record would stand until Sandy Koufax threw his fourth no-hitter in 1965
    • 4*4–03@ Providence Grays
  • First Cubs no-hitter on the road
    • 52–03Brooklyn Bridegrooms
  • First left-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter in franchise history
    • 62–02@ New York Giants
  • First game of a doubleheader
    • 74–07Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Longest interval between no-hitters in franchise history
  • First no-hitter by black pitcher
  • Most baserunners allowed in a franchise's no-hitter '
    • 84–01St. Louis Cardinals
  • Second game of a doubleheader
  • First start after being acquired by Phillies
    • 9 3–03Atlanta Braves
  • Holtzman did not strike out a batter the entire game
    • 10 1–04@ Cincinnati Reds
  • Holtzman scored the game's only run
  • Smallest margin of victory in a franchise's no-hitter
    • 114–07Philadelphia Phillies
  • Game 2 of season
  • Earliest calendar date of franchise's no-hitter
  • Most baserunners allowed in a franchise's no-hitter '
    • 128–01San Diego Padres
  • Shortest interval in days between no-hitters in franchise history
  • Only base runner reached on a walk with two outs in the ninth inning
    • 135–02@ Houston Astros
  • Played at Miller Park in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike, making it the first and only no-hitter at a neutral site
    • 14 2–02@ Los Angeles Dodgers
  • First no-hitter by visiting pitcher at Dodger Stadium since 1994
  • First Cubs no-hitter by a bearded pitcher
    • 15 16–04@ Cincinnati Reds
  • Largest margin of victory in a franchise's no-hitter
  • Modern era Major League record for most runs scored by the winning team in a no-hitter
  • Shortest interval in games between no-hitters in franchise history

    • Footnotes

  • The only team without a no-hitter in franchise history is the San Diego Padres.