Royals no-hitter history

The Royals have had their share of no-hitters as a club, but they may be tough to remember for many fans.

Three pitchers have thrown a total of four no-nos since the franchise was born in 1969, with all but one coming in the team’s first nine seasons. Kansas City fans have seen a shortage of no-hitters as of late, as none have been tossed since 1991.

MLB.com takes a look back at every no-hitter thrown in Royals franchise history.

Aug. 26, 1991: Bret Saberhagen
Royals 7, White Sox 0

Bret Saberhagen had already won a World Series Most Valuable Player Award and two American League Cy Young Awards before throwing his first no-hitter. And just as controversy dotted his and the franchise's first World Series championship in 1985, a contentious decision once again kept Saberhagan's chances at making history alive.

In the fifth inning, Chicago's Dan Pasqua drove a liner deep into the outfield. Left fielder Kirk Gibson, who played one season for the Royals, followed it to the warning track before losing sight of the ball and making an attempt at reeling it in before it bounced off his glove.

Scorekeeper Del Black, who would later explain he thought the ball was catchable, ruled the play as an error and preserved Saberhagen’s no-hit effort. It was smooth sailing from there for the Royals’ ace, who finished with five strikeouts and two walks.

Aside from the natural impressiveness that comes with throwing a no-hitter, Saberhagen’s performance was particularly noteworthy in that he did so against a White Sox lineup featuring three eventual Hall of Famers (Tim Raines, Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk) and seven eventual All-Stars. In fact, he retired Raines, 1997 All-Star Joey Cora and Thomas 1-2-3 to finish the job in the ninth.

Despite his stellar performance, Saberhagen was still humble and was more proud of what his team had accomplished together six years prior.

"This is terrific, but there will never be anything better than the World Series," Saberhagen said.

May 14, 1977: Jim Colborn
Royals 6, Rangers 0

Jim Colborn only played a season and a half in Kansas City, but wasted no time making a lasting impact on the franchise.

Just as the summer sun began to settle in at Royals Stadium in mid-May, Colborn tossed the first no-no of the 1977 season against the Texas Rangers. It had been nearly three years since the Royals last had a pitcher do so.

Colborn started his outing strong, retiring the first 14 batters and carrying a perfect game into the fifth inning. Some brief tension arose when the Rangers’ Toby Harrah was hit by a pitch and swiped second, but Colborn sat down Bump Wills immediately after to weather the storm. Only one other Ranger, Jim Sundberg, would reach base after drawing a walk to lead off the next inning.

With just one out to go, Colborn was naturally nervous. So he stood on the mound, one batter away from history, and whispered a prayer to himself. He wasn’t asking that he would complete the no-hitter, though; instead, he was simply praying he wouldn’t have to field the ball.

When Claudell Washington hit a hard grounder to first baseman Pete LaCock, however, Colborn was forced to cover first.

“I ran to the bag to cover, and I was saying, ‘Please, God, don't make me touch it. I'm too nervous,’” Colborn said.

Luckily for him, LaCock was able to beat Washington to the bag by himself. Colborn didn’t need to touch the ball, and his name was forever cemented in Royals lore.

June 19, 1974: Steve Busby
Royals 2, Brewers 0

Steve Busby already had a no-hitter when he no-hit the Brewers in 1974, but the second time around was a better performance for the young right-hander.

Busby allowed just one runner to reach base in a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee, with just four balls batted out of the infield.

Busby only struck out three in front of the crowd of 9,019 at County Stadium. He kept the ball contained in his defense’s pocket for much of the game, allowing just leadoff man George Scott to reach in the second.

He faced trouble just once -- in the fourth, Scott drove a deep fly ball to the right field. Royals outfielder Al Cowens had it on a beat, however, snagging a one-handed running catch to preserve Busby’s no-hit effort.

Don Money nearly played spoiler with two outs in the ninth, sending a liner narrowly down the line before it hooked foul. He consequently popped up to Cookie Rojas to end the game.

It was Busby’s second no-hitter at just age 24. He was 23 when he threw his first, just under a year prior.

April 27, 1973: Steve Busby
Royals 3, Tigers 0

Busby was making just the 10th start of his career when he went the distance against the division rival Tigers. His poise paled in comparison to that of his second no-hitter, as Busby walked six and threw a wild pitch.

Busby was a fast riser after being selected just two years ago by the Royals in the second round of the 1971 Draft. After capturing two national championships at USC, Busby soared through the Minor League ranks and cracked the big league club just before the end of the '72 season.

Busby walked Duke Sims to begin the ninth, showing the wildness he exhibited throughout the day. But Busby got the next batter, Rich Reese, to line out to John Mayberry, who stepped on first to double off Sims and put the game nearly on ice. It took just one pitch for Bill Freehan to pop up to Fred Patek and seal Busby's moment.

It was the first no-hitter in Royals history, and also the first no-hitter thrown in the designated-hitter era. Busby nearly made an even bigger mark on history in his next start, when he carried a no-no into the sixth against the Brewers. Only Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds had thrown back-to-back no-hitters before in the 1938 season.