Back on June 18, 2014, Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw tossed his one and, to date, only no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium and, in fact, came within a Hanley Ramirez error of pitching the second perfect game in Dodgers history, with Hall of Fame left-hander Sandy Koufax having that distinct honor.

“As far as individual games go, this is pretty special,” Kershaw said after that historic game. “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

Since their first game as the Los Angeles on April 18, 1958, Dodgers pitchers have thrown 13 no-hitters, with Kershaw’s 15 strikeouts in his still the most ever by a pitcher in a Dodgers no-hitter.

Since Opening Day 2021, there have been six nine-inning no-hitters thrown in Major League Baseball (seven if you count Madison Bumgarner‘s seven-inning no-hitter), and we’re not even to the All-Star break yet. They are:

• Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres (April 9 vs. Texas Rangers)
• Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox (April 15 vs. Cleveland Indians)
• John Means of the Baltimore Orioles (May 5 vs. Seattle Mariners)
• Wade Miley of the Cincinnati Reds (May 7 vs. Cleveland Indians)
• Spencer Turnbull of the Detroit Tigers (May 18 vs. Seattle Mariners)
• Corey Kluber of the New York Yankees (May 19 vs. Texas Rangers)

As noted, the Turnbull and Kluber no-no’s came on consecutive nights.

While there is no disputing that witnessing a no-hitter, especially in person, is incredibly exciting and a lifelong memory for every baseball fan, does having so many of them make them any less exciting or, Heaven forbid, any less significant?

“Well it’s not good, I’ll tell you that” Kershaw answered during his postgame presser on Wednesday night when asked what he thought about so many no-hitters being thrown in the MLB this season. “I think whatever the intention was with the new ball or whatever it may be, it really hasn’t done anything. There might be less home runs, which I guess they want, but I don’t know the stats on all that. But I do know that the strikeouts are the same and I think I saw some stats where April that it was the worst hitting month in the history of something.

“No-hitters are cool, and I have all the respect in the world for Corey Kluber and Bum, and all of those guys that have thrown no-hitters, but to have one happen every night, it seems like it’s probably not good for the game,” added Kershaw. “Fans want to see some hits, and I get that, and some action and not many people striking out. So, I appreciate the attempts that MLB has tried to do, but it seems like they missed the mark so far. We’ll see. I don’t know.”

By no means, and as Kershaw noted, is this an attempt to diminish the significance or excitement of the once-rare no-hitter. It is merely, as Kershaw also noted, to point out that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred‘s ongoing attempts to screw with the most perfect professional sport in the world, continues to backfire and, quite frankly, makes him look like a complete boob.

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *