Top 5 Angels pitching games of all time

ANAHEIM – With a perfect game and 10 no-hitters since their inception in 1961, the Angels have had several incredible pitching performances over the years.

MLB.com is ranking the Top 5 pitching performances for all 30 clubs, so here’s a look at the Angels’ Top 5 individual pitching performances in team history:

1. Mike Witt, Sept. 30, 1984 at Rangers

Witt threw the 11th perfect game in Major League history against the Rangers in the final game of the 1984 season at Arlington Stadium in Texas. Witt struck out 10 batters and had nine strikeouts through eight innings. He struck out Tom Dunbar to open the ninth and Bobby Jones grounded out to second base to set the stage for Marv Foley, who grounded out to Rob Wilfong to end the game. Witt threw just 94 pitches in a game that lasted one hour and 49 minutes. Of his 94 pitches, 55 were curveballs and 37 were fastballs with two changeups. It was the first perfect game since Cleveland’s Len Barker in 1981 and the next one didn’t come until Cincinnati’s Tom Browning threw one in 1988.

• Every perfect game in MLB history

2. Nolan Ryan, July 15, 1973 at Tigers

Ryan is the Majors’ no-hit king with seven in his career, including two in 1973 alone -- the first two of his career. It was the second one that was more impressive, as he set a record with 17 strikeouts in a no-hitter, a feat later matched by Max Scherzer. Ryan, though, walked four batters to keep it from being a perfect game. Memorably, Tigers star Norm Cash came to the plate with two outs in the ninth and brought a table leg from the clubhouse to the plate, figuring he wasn't going to hit Ryan anyway after already striking out twice. The umpire made him go back and get a bat and Cash ultimately popped up to complete Ryan's no-hitter.

• Every Angels no-hitter

3. Dean Chance, June 6, 1964 vs Yankees

Chance won the Cy Young Award in ’64, going 20-9 with a league-leading 1.65 ERA and 11 shutouts. But his best performance didn’t come in a no-hitter or even a complete game; it was when he hurled 14 scoreless innings against the Yankees in an eventual 2-0 loss in 15 innings. Chance allowed three hits and walked two but struck out 12 and held the mighty Yankees without a run. Chance recorded a game score of 116, which is the highest in Angels history.

4. Nolan Ryan, May 15, 1973 at Royals

Ryan’s first career no-hitter was a dominant performance against a solid Royals club, as he struck out 12 and walked three in a 3-0 win. Ryan was coming off two rough outings and said before the game that he felt terrible warming up in the bullpen but his stuff was electric against Kansas City. He threw 132 pitches, completing the no-hitter in 2 hours and 20 minutes, as Amos Otis hit a drive to right field that was snared by Ken Berry to complete the no-no.

5. Jered Weaver, May 2, 2012 vs. Twins

Weaver had already been part of an unusual unofficial combined no-hitter in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers in 2008, but etched his name into the record books with his no-hitter against Minnesota in a 9-0 win. Weaver struck out nine and walked just one, as Josh Willingham reached in the seventh inning to keep it from being a perfect game. Alexi Casilla flied out to deep right to end it and give Weaver the ninth no-hitter in club history.