Looking back at Rockies' no-hitter history

Seventeen years after Major League Baseball came to Colorado in 1993, the Rockies saw their first no-hitter thrown, when Ubaldo Jiménez made franchise history in 2010. And despite Germán Márquez firing a valiant one-hit shutout on June 29, 2021, the club is still searching for its second no-hitter -- and the first at Coors Field.

MLB.com takes a look back at the first and only no-hitter thrown -- plus some close calls -- in Rockies’ history.

April 17, 2010: Ubaldo Jiménez
Rockies 4, Braves 0

From the start of the game at Turner Field, no one was expecting an historic night. But Jiménez overcame early wildness and a rather high pitch count in a stunning performance to no-hit the Braves on their home turf.

Jiménez, then 26 years old, faced 31 batters, walking six of them and striking out seven. Jiménez’s 128 pitches were one more than his career high he notched in 2009, and when he reached 83 pitches, he had thrown more balls (42) than strikes (41). He walked the leadoff hitter in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

But Jiménez settled in and figured his pitches out. After the fifth inning, he didn’t walk a batter. The right-hander threw just 27 pitches in his final three innings.

What made the outing such a masterpiece -- besides the history made -- was Jiménez’s sustained velocity through all nine innings. His fastball averaged 96.8 mph, and it topped 100 three times. His final pitch was a 98-mph fastball to Braves’ All-Star catcher Brian McCann.

Rockies’ center fielder Dexter Fowler saved a hit from breaking up Jiménez’s bid when Braves’ slugger Troy Glaus smacked a fastball into left-center field. Fowler sprinted about 40 yards before making the diving catch.

“I didn’t start the game good, I was wide, throwing the ball everywhere. But thank God I was able to come back and get the guys out,” Jiménez said after the game. “Our defense was excellent, the guys did everything possible to catch the balls, thank God we got it.”

Prior to Jiménez’s historic April outing, the deepest a Colorado pitcher had gone into a potential no-hitter was Jason Jennings on Aug. 1, 2002, when he went 6 2/3 innings without giving up a hit.

Close calls

June 29, 2021: Germán Márquez
Rockies 8, Pirates 0

Márquez faced just one batter over the minimum and tossed a one-hit shutout, but came within three outs of achieving history at Coors Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates as outfielder Ka'ai Tom roped a line drive single to right field for the road team’s only hit of the ballgame.

Following a standing ovation, Márquez composed himself and completed his gem by erasing Tom with a groundout double play before coaxing Adam Frazier into a groundout for the game’s final out.

It appeared as though Márquez was meant to accomplish the Rockies first no-hit feat at Coors Field when Trevor Story made a leaping catch, denying Jacob Stallings of a hit to open the game’s eighth frame and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

The Venezuelan cruised throughout his entire outing, allowing only one walk and the one hit while spreading five strikeouts across his 92 pitches of work. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI, producing more offense by himself than he allowed all game.

July 9, 2017: Kyle Freeland
Rockies 10, White Sox 0

Freeland came within one at-bat of throwing the second no-hitter in franchise history -- and the first at Coors Field before Melky Cabrera of the White Sox lined a single to left field over leaping third baseman Nolan Arenado’s glove with one out in the ninth inning. It was Freeland’s 126th and final pitch of the outing.

Freeland, a Denver native, allowed one hit, struck out nine and walked three in 8 1/3 innings.

Freeland worked out of a seventh-inning jam when he walked Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier. Then Avisail Garcia grounded into a double play, and Tim Anderson flied out to end the frame. Freeland pumped his arms as he walked off the mound.

In the eighth inning, left fielder Gerardo Parra dove forward to snag Yolmer Sanchez’s line drive and kept Freeland’s bid alive.

“For me, it’s all about emotion,” Freeland told MLB Network after the game. “If you don’t have emotion in this game, you’re not putting everything into it. So emotion plays really big, so times like that, getting big outs and everything, it really pumps me up, gets me going and I know it gets the guys going, too.”

May 29, 2015: Chad Bettis
Rockies 4, Phillies 1

Before this road game, right-hander Bettis was 0-3 with a 4.82 ERA in 17 career starts away from Coors Field. That disappointing statistic quickly faded when he flirted with a no-hit bid through eight innings in Philadelphia.

In fact, heading into the seventh inning, it was a perfect game bid -- until Ben Revere rolled a grounder that slipped through shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s glove in the seventh inning. It was scored an error, so Bettis’ potential no-hitter was still intact.

In the eighth inning, the Rockies’ infield shifted to the right in anticipation for the Phillies’ Cody Asche. He singled into the left-field gap, ending Bettis’ no-hitter. Then Carlos Ruiz singled to right field.

Bettis fanned Darin Ruf on a check swing to end the frame and his outing with two hits, seven strikeouts and no walks. Of his 104 pitches, 66 of them were strikes.

June 20, 2006: Jason Jennings and two relievers
Rockies 6, Athletics 0

Although Jennings got off to a shaky start, allowing the only hit of the game to the Athletics’ Jason Kendall in the first inning, he got out of the jam and co-authored the first one-hitter in Rockies’ history

Jennings won his third straight, overcoming six walks in seven innings and striking out six.

After Jennings threw 113 pitches, the Rockies turned to reliever Tom Martin in the eighth inning. Martin retired his three batters with a groundout, a strikeout and a lineout. Brian Fuentes took over in the ninth, looking to keep the one-hitter alive. He did with a strikeout, a foul pop fly and a flyball.

It was the third time there had been one hit or fewer at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, along with the Hideo Nomo’s no-hitter for the Dodgers in 1996 and Pat Rapp’s one-hitter for Florida in '95. The Rockies shut out the Athletics in back-to-back games, marking the second back-to-back shutout at Coors Field in the club’s history.