Guardians no-hitter history

CLEVELAND -- Despite a decadeslong World Series drought, the Guardians are no strangers to the thrill of completing a no-hitter.

Guardians fans have seen some of baseball's greatest throw a no-no while donning a Cleveland uniform -- and some less likely candidates as well. That's the beauty of baseball. Any pitcher can conjure the magic for a game and put together one of the game's rarest accomplishments.

MLB.com looks back at every no-hitter thrown in Guardians franchise history.

May 15, 1981: Len Barker
Indians 3, Blue Jays 0 (Perfect game)

Barker completed the organization's second perfect game, and the 10th thrown in Major League history, leading the team to victory at Cleveland Stadium. The 6-foot-5 right-hander never once reached a three-ball count against a Blue Jays hitter. Barker also recorded seven strikeouts in the last 11 batters faced. Barker's gem was the first ever thrown by a pitcher who did not come up to bat during the game, with the American League's adoption of the designated hitter in 1973.

"I run into people almost every day who want to talk about it," Barker said in 2006. "Everyone says, 'You're probably tired of talking about it.' I say, 'No it's something to be proud of.' It's a special thing."

May 30, 1977: Dennis Eckersley
Indians 1, Angels 0

The 1975 Sporting News' AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year struck out 12 batters and allowed just two baserunners for the second no-hitter thrown in the 1977 season -- the other being the Royals' Jim Colborn against the Texas Rangers on May 14. Eckersley, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from Oakland, gave up a walk to Tony Solaita in the first inning. Bobby Bonds reached in the eighth on a wild pitch called strike three.

The Angels didn't get anything close to hit off the 22-year-old Eckersley, the New York Times wrote of the future Hall of Famer, who was traded to the Red Sox before the 1978 season.

July 19, 1974: Dick Bosman
Indians 4, A's 0

Bosman's no-no stunned the Athletics, who had entered the four-game series at Cleveland Stadium on a five-game winning streak. Oakland, the two-time reigning World Series champions, led by the likes of Reggie Jackson, were only able to reach on a throwing error by Bosman in the fourth. Otherwise, the right-hander was able to turn the trick on just 79 pitches, striking out four. The A's best chance at spoiling the no-hitter came off the bat of Pat Bourque, whose fly ball to right was knocked down just shy of the wall in right, allowing outfielder Charlie Spikes to make the grab. Bosman took care of the A's in the ninth, striking out Billy North to end the game.

"It was a masterpiece," said teammate Gaylord Perry."He missed the strike zone with only 19 pitches, and that's amazing."

Oakland, however, came away with the last laugh, winning its third consecutive World Series later that season, defeating the Dodgers in five games. The Tribe finished in fourth place in the AL East, 14 games behind first-place Baltimore.

June 10, 1966: Sonny Siebert
Indians 2, Senators 0

Siebert's seven-strikeout performance against the Senators may have been the highlight of the two-time All-Star from St. Mary, Mo. Only two Senators reached base -- Siebert walked Dick Nen in the fifth inning and Paul Casanova reached on an error by shortstop Chico Salmon in the eighth. Siebert had entered the game with a 4-3 record but hadn't recorded a win in nearly three weeks. As a part of friendly banter with his wife, Carol, he promised he'd make history before coming home.

"I hadn't been going so good and she was kidding me about being bombed so much," Siebert said. "Promise you'll get off my back and I'll pitch a no-hitter."

July 1, 1951: Bob Feller
Indians 2, Tigers 1

Feller, a Hall of Famer, eight-time All-Star and World Series winner for Cleveland, threw his third and final no-hitter. By doing so, he joined Larry Corcoran and Cy Young as the only pitchers -- at the time -- to complete three no-nos. The 6-foot right-hander struck out five and walked three. Tigers shortstop Johnny Lipon scored the team's only run after reaching on an error and coming around on a sacrifice fly. Feller would go on to pitch five more seasons for Cleveland, retiring at the age of 37.

June 30, 1948: Bob Lemon
Indians 2, Tigers 0

The 1948 championship season marked Lemon's first full season as a pitcher, making the move from utility outfielder. He became No. 2 in the rotation behind Feller. Lemon, a Hall of Famer, struck out four and walked three against Detroit, and the right-hander earned his 11th win and fifth shutout of the season.

July 10, 1947: Don Black
Indians 3, A's 0

Black was no stranger to no-hitters and had even thrown two rising through the Minor Leagues as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics organization. Black was traded from the A's to Cleveland in 1946 and was looking forward to a chance at his former team. Even a 45-minute rain delay couldn't stop Black, who walked six and struck out five for the first-ever no-hitter thrown at Cleveland Stadium. The right-hander helped his cause even further with a pair of hits and an RBI.

April 30, 1946: Bob Feller
Indians 1, Yankees 0

After losing two starts to begin the 1946 campaign, critics began to think Feller may have lost his fastball during his wartime service with the Navy ('42-'44). But the 27-year-old Feller silenced those critics with an 11-strikeout, five-walk outing against the Yankees -- marking the first to do so as an opposing team at Yankee Stadium.

According to ESPN Classic, Yankees slugger Joe DiMaggio complimented the feat: "Feller was as great as he's ever been. He deserved the no-hitter."

April 16, 1940: Bob Feller
Indians 1, White Sox 0

Cleveland opened the 1940 season with a trip to Comiskey Park, and the result was a record that stands to this day. Of all the no-hitters thrown in the Major Leagues, Feller's first remains the only to ever be thrown on Opening Day. It was a cold and windy day. Feller, who was 21 at the time, ended up walking five and striking out three -- a performance he later admitted he struggled to grip the ball.

"He would always say of his three no-hitters, that day, he had the worst stuff of the three," longtime PR man Bob DiBiasio told MLB.com in 2015.

April 29, 1931: Wes Ferrell
Indians 9, Browns 0

When Ferrell took the hill against the struggling St. Louis Browns, Major League Baseball had not seen a no-hitter in the past two seasons. It was also the first no-no thrown at League Park since Addie Joss' for the Tribe nearly 21 years to the day. Ferrell nearly lost the no-no to his own brother, Rick, who scorched a ball down the third-base line that went past a diving Johnny Burnett. Shortstop Bill Hunnefield backed up the play, and his throw drew first baseman Lew Fonseca off the bag and the play was called an error. Ferrell helped his own cause as well, finishing the game with four RBIs, a double and belting a two-run homer in the fourth.

Sept. 10, 1919: Ray Caldwell
Indians 3, Yankees 0

Only three starts after being struck by lightning, Caldwell continued his tremendous 1919 run with Cleveland by throwing a no-hitter against his former longtime teammates at the Polo Grounds. The 3-0 victory sparked a mid-September streak for the Tribe of 12 wins in 13 games. Caldwell had been released by the Red Sox earlier in the season with a 7-4 record but went 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA for the rest of the season with Cleveland.

April 20, 1910: Addie Joss
Naps 1, White Sox 0

Joss became the first pitcher in MLB history to no-hit the same team twice, a feat not matched until Tim Lincecum no-hit the Padres in 2013 and '14 for the San Francisco Giants. White Sox slugger Freddy Parent hit a ball to third that wasn't fielded cleanly by Bill Bradley and was initially ruled a hit. The call was later changed to an error. Joss, 30, would throw his final big league pitch about three months later. He died the next year due to meningitis. Joss was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1978.

Oct. 2, 1908: Addie Joss
Naps 1, White Sox 0 (Perfect game)

Joss' perfecto was the second-ever thrown in the modern era. The Naps had to go against Hall of Famer Ed Walsh -- who debatedly had the better game. Walsh struck out 15 batters and allowed an unearned run on four hits. Joss fanned three, but the White Sox had no answer for him. Joss completed the game on only 74 pitches. The Naps finished with a 90-64 record and a half-game back of Detroit, which lost to the Cubs in the World Series. It was the closest Joss ever came to a championship.

Sept. 18, 1908: Dusty Rhoads
Naps 2, Red Sox 1

Only weeks before Joss threw his perfect game, Bob "Dusty" Rhoads threw the organization's first no-hitter with a 2-1 win against the Red Sox. The win helped Rhoads improve to 16-12 -- he walked two and struck out two. It was perhaps the highlight of the right-hander's career, which came to an end the following season.