Pirates no-hitter history

Since the club’s inception in 1887, Pirates pitchers have hurled six no-hit gems. MLB.com looks back at every no-hitter thrown in franchise history

July 12, 1997: Combined -- Francisco Cordova, Ricardo Rincon
Pirates 3, Astros 0

The most recent no-hitter was a combined effort. Cordova registered 10 strikeouts over nine innings against the Astros, but left the game with the Pirates locked in a scoreless tie after throwing 121 pitches.

Rincon, the rookie left-hander, came on in relief in the 10th inning. Despite issuing a one-out walk, he struck out Bill Spiers and induced a groundout from Brad Ausmus to keep the no-no alive.

With two outs and runners on first and second in the home half of the 10th, Mark Smith stepped in to pinch-hit for Rincon. He connected on an 0-1 pitch and belted it to left field for the walk-off home run — just his third long ball of the season — to secure the combined no-hitter for Cordova and Rincon.

Aug. 9, 1976: John Candelaria
Pirates 2, Dodgers 0

Candelaria’s no-hitter came in just his second season in the Major Leagues. The 22-year-old southpaw struck out seven for his 11th victory of a 16-win season.

Candelaria faced 30 batters, with the three additional Dodgers all coming to the plate in the third inning. After catching Bill Buckner looking on a called strike three to lead off the frame, Candelaria walked Steve Yeager to end the perfect game. The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs, thanks to a pair of infield fielding errors, but Bill Russell grounded out to end the threat and preserve the masterpiece.

It was the first no-hitter pitched by a Pirate in Pittsburgh since 1907.

June 12, 1970: Dock Ellis
Pirates 2, Padres 0

One season before serving as the winningest pitcher on a staff that helped lead the Pirates to their fourth World Series title in franchise history, Ellis walked eight batters and hit another while throwing the only no-hitter of his career.

Willie Stargell provided Ellis all the offense he needed, blasting solo home runs in the second and seventh innings. The Padres put runners on in six of the nine innings, going 0-for-6 with men in scoring position and stranding nine runners on base.

Things became even more bizarre in 1984 when a report broke that Ellis claimed to have thrown the no-no while under the influence of lysergic acid diethylamide, more commonly known as LSD or acid. There continues to be doubts about the veracity of those claims, but the lore has endured, nevertheless. It was recently featured in the 2014 ESPN film “No No: A Dockumentary."

Sept. 20, 1969: Bob Moose
Pirates 4, Mets 0

The “Miracle Mets” of 1969 finished the regular season 100-62 and went on to defeat the Orioles in five games to claim their first World Series title in franchise history. In Game 152, however, they were no-hit by Moose at Shea Stadium.

Pitching 19 days prior to his 22nd birthday, Moose walked three and struck out six. The Pirates took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning as runs scored on a pair of wild pitches and a groundout.

Pittsburgh’s final run came while Moose was wielding a bat in the ninth inning. Mets pitcher Tug McGraw threw a wild pitch during Moose’s at-bat, allowing Manny Sanguillen to score from third. After walking the first batter he faced to lead off the bottom of the frame, Moose retired the next three batters to cement his place in history.

May 6, 1951: Cliff Chambers
Pirates 3, Braves 0

The Pirates and Boston Braves played a doubleheader at Braves Field. After dropping the first game, 6-0, the Pirates bounced back in game two behind Chambers’ no-hitter -- the second in franchise history and first in 44 years.

Chambers walked eight batters. Drama came in the sixth, with the Pirates clinging to a 2-0 lead as Chambers walked opposing starter George Estock to lead off the inning. Estock found himself on third base with one out following a wild pitch and sacrifice bunt, but was stranded.

Chambers surrendered 25 earned runs on 39 hits over his next five starts for the Pirates and was traded to the Cardinals in mid-June. He is one of only two pitchers since 1900 to be traded in the season they threw a no-hitter. Edwin Jackson became the second in 2010 when he was traded from the D-backs to the White Sox.

Sept. 20, 1907: Nick Maddox
Pirates 2, Superbas 1

The first no-hitter in franchise history came in front of the home crowd at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh.

Maddox was 20 years old and making his third Major League start when he hurled the no-hitter against the Brooklyn Superbas, as the Dodgers were known at that time. He’d been called up in early September and made his debut on Sept. 13, striking out 14 in a two-hit shutout of the Cardinals. One week later, he allowed one unearned run in the fourth inning, thanks to a pair of errors, en route to the no-hitter.

His short stint in the big leagues came to an end in 1910 after 93 career games. He retired with a 43-20 record and 2.29 ERA over 605 1/3 innings.