Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history and the fifth in MLB this season, defeating the Detroit Tigers 5-0.
Garza faced the minimum 27 batters, giving up a second-inning walk to Brennan Boesch, but then forcing the next batter Ryan Raburn into a double play.
Garza threw 120 pitches, 80 of which were for strikes, striking out six.
The San Diego Padres and New York Mets are now the only MLB teams that have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter.
The Padres’ closest bid came against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 18, 1972, when Steve Arlin came within one out of a no-hitter before a Denny Doyle single broke up the bid.
The New York Mets, who began play in 1962, is the franchise that has been in the majors the longest without pitching a no-hitter. Mets’ pitchers, however, have thrown 33 one-hitters.
The Washington Nationals technically have four no-hitters, but all came when the team was the Montreal Expos.
Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer had a no-hitter through 5.2 innings. But after two walks and a catcher’s interference by Gerald Laird loaded the bases, former Tiger Matt Joyce unloaded a 3-1 pitch into the right field seats to end the no-hit bid and the shutout.
MLB’s longest multi-no-hit game took place this season when Chicago Cubs’ Ted Lilly and the Chicago White Sox’s Gavin Floyd each took no-hitters into the seventh with Floyd losing his after 6.1 innings pitched and Lilly losing his after 8.1 innings pitched.
The last time there were five no-hitters in a MLB season was in 1991.
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