A No-Hitter!

Well, what do you know? It turns out that one pitcher CAN throw an actual no-hitter. On Wednesday, that pitcher was the Angels’ 22-year-old rookie Reid Detmers — he threw the no-hitter against Tampa Bay.

This was one weird and wild game.

Detmers became the sixth rookie this century to throw a no-hitter. The other five are:

• The Diamondbacks’ Tyler Gilbert vs. the Padres, Aug. 14, 2021.

• The Giants’ Chris Heston vs. the Mets, June 9, 2015.

• The Red Sox’ Clay Buchholz vs. the Orioles, Sept. 1, 2007.

• The Marlins’ Anibal Sanchez vs. the Diamondbacks, Sept. 6, 2006.

• The Cardinals’ Bud Smith vs. the Padres, Sept. 3, 2001.

Detmers did it earlier in the year than the others — you have to go back to Steve Busby in 1973 (April 27) to find a rookie who threw a no-no this early in his rookie season.

Detmers struck out only two batters. That’s pretty mind-boggling in today’s game, with strikeouts rampant. Only one pitcher since 1980 — the often-magical Francisco Liriano back in 2015 — had thrown a no-hitter striking out that few. Detmers became only the fifth pitcher in the Expansion Era to throw a no-hitter while striking out two or fewer batters.

Can you name the only pitcher in that time period to throw a no-hitter with zero strikeouts? Fun trivia! (Answer below.)