12 facts to know about Angels' no-no
Friday night¡¯s game at Angel Stadium was more about emotion than numbers. But the numbers were pretty impressive, too.
It was the Angels¡¯ first home game since the passing of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, and the club honored him in a pregame ceremony. Every player on the team wore his No. 45 jersey.
With that number on their backs, the Halos went out and not only beat the Mariners 13-0, but threw a no-hitter as well. It was of the combined variety, with ¡°opener¡± Taylor Cole going two innings before Felix Peña threw the final seven. The two faced only one batter over the minimum, issuing a single walk, and striking out eight.
Here are the facts and figures to know about the Angels¡¯ amazing achievement on an emotional night in Anaheim.
? This was the first combined no-hitter for the Angels since April 11, 1990. In that game, Mark Langston (seven innings) and Mike Witt (two innings) teamed up to no-hit -- you guessed it -- the Mariners at Anaheim Stadium. The Halos joined the Orioles as the only teams with multiple combined no-nos.
? Overall this was the 11th no-hitter in Angels history and first since Jered Weaver blanked the Twins at home on May 2, 2012. It¡¯s the third Halos no-no of this decade, as Ervin Santana also threw one against the Indians on July 27, 2011, in Cleveland.
? It was the eighth no-hitter at Angel Stadium, including the sixth thrown by the home team.
? This was the 13th combined no-hitter in MLB history, out of more than 301 total. The previous one was completed by four Dodgers pitchers, against the Padres, on May 4 of last season. Nine of the 13 combined no-nos have come since 1990. This was the first one to feature just two pitchers since Francisco Cordova went nine innings and Ricardo Rincon one for the Pirates in a no-hitter of the Astros on July 12, 1997.
? The two innings thrown by Cole in this one were the third-fewest by a starter in a no-hitter. However, the circumstances here were very different. In the very first combined no-hitter in MLB history in 1917, Babe Ruth was ejected before recording an out, leaving Ernie Shore to throw nine no-hit innings behind him. And in 2003, Roy Oswalt threw one inning for the Astros before departing due to injury, and five Houston relievers finished the job behind him.
? After Cole went two, Pe?a took it the rest of the way, throwing just 81 pitches while walking one and striking out six. It¡¯s the second-most innings thrown by a reliever in a no-hitter -- after Shore¡¯s nine -- and Pe?a is the first reliever in any game to throw at least seven hitless innings since Cleveland¡¯s Jake Westbrook against Detroit on April 19, 2004. In the past 50 years, just one other reliever has gone at least seven hitless frames: Tippy Martinez of the Orioles against the A¡¯s on July 23, 1979.
? The Angels won 13-0. That¡¯s tied for the fourth-largest margin of victory in any no-hitter in Major League history, and the largest since the Cubs won 16-0 in Jake Arrieta¡¯s first no-hitter in 2016. The largest margin of victory in a no-hitter is 18 runs, when Pud Galvin threw one in 1884.
? This was the first time the Mariners were no-hit since April 21, 2012, when Philip Humber threw a perfect game against them for the White Sox. In the span since last being no-hit, the Mariners had thrown three no-hitters, including a perfect game from Felix Hernandez in 2012.
? This was the second no-hitter of the 2019 season, after Mike Fiers -- who pitched for the A¡¯s on Friday night against the White Sox -- threw one on May 7. There were three no-hitters in 2018, including a combined no-hitter from the Dodgers.
? In fact, each of the past three no-hitters -- and four of the past five since the start of 2018 -- have been thrown by AL West teams. Sean Manaea tossed a no-no for the A¡¯s on April 21, 2018, and James Paxton for the Mariners on May 8, 2018, in addition to Fiers and now the two Angels.
? This was the fourth no-hitter to be thrown on the date of July 12. The Pirates threw a combined no-hitter against the Astros on July 12, 1997. Before that, Allie Reynolds had one for the Yankees at the Indians on this date in 1951. And in 1900, Noodles Hahn threw one for the Reds against the Phillies.
? The Angels did have some good fortune on their side, with three of the Mariners¡¯ outs having an expected batting average of at least .630, according to Statcast, based on their exit velocity and launch angle. The highest xBA of the night for Seattle was .820 on a 99.8 mph Dee Gordon lineout to second base in the sixth.