Facts and figures from JV's no-hitter
Justin Verlander no-hit the Blue Jays on Sunday at Rogers Centre, notching the third no-hitter of his career and the second to come in that very ballpark.
Here’s a look at some of the notable facts and figures from Verlander’s third no-hitter:
• Verlander added more to his Hall of Fame-caliber resume by joining Larry Corcoran, Cy Young, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan -- all of whom but Corcoran are enshrined in Cooperstown -- by throwing at least three no-hitters.
• Having thrown each of his first two no-hitters with the Tigers, Verlander became just the eighth pitcher in history to throw at least one no-hitter for multiple teams, joining Young, Mike Fiers, Randy Johnson, Hideo Nomo, Jim Bunning and Theodore Breitenstein, who have each done so for two clubs. Ryan is the only pitcher to throw a no-no for more the two teams, having thrown his seven in three different uniforms.
• Verlander’s last no-no came at the very same site of his most recent one -- at Rogers Centre on May 7, 2011, during his American League MVP and Cy Young Award-winning season, when he was 28 years old. If that distance sounds distinct, it’s because it is: The eight years, three months and 26 days between his last no-hitter and Sunday represent the second-longest gap in MLB history among 35 pitchers who’ve thrown at least two no-nos. Johnson has the longest gap, at 13 years, 11 months and 17 days.
• Verlander had a game score of 100 for the outing. That’s the highest game score for a pitcher in a no-hitter since Max Scherzer’s 17-strikeout no-hitter, which had a game score of 104. It’s the fifth no-hitter since 2000 with a game score of at least 100, adding Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter in '14 (102), Matt Cain’s perfect game in '12 (101) and Johnson's perfect game in '04 (100) to the list. Verlander's was the 10th no-hitter on record (since 1908) with a game score of at least 100, including perfect games.
• Verlander is the third pitcher with multiple no-hitters against the same team. Addie Joss no-hit the White Sox in 1908 and 1910, and Tim Lincecum no-hit the Padres in 2013 and '14. Verlander is the first pitcher with multiple no-hitters on the road at the same opponent.
• His 14 strikeouts were three shy of the all-time record of 17 in a no-hitter, set by Ryan on July 15, 1973, for the Angels against the Tigers and tied by Scherzer on the penultimate day of the 2015 regular season for the Nationals at the Mets.
• Perhaps fittingly, Verlander reached the 250-strikeout plateau in the process on Sunday. And he became just the fifth pitcher in MLB history to reach that mark at least five times in his career, joining Scherzer, Ryan, Johnson and Roger Clemens. With roughly five starts remaining this season, Verlander’s shot at exceeding the 300 mark for a season for the first time in his career remains in reach. Only 17 pitchers in the Modern Era have struck out that many in a season.
• The Astros became the 18th club in history to throw multiple no-hitters in the same season. On Aug. 3, Aaron Sanchez, Will Harris, Joe Biagini and Chris Devenski combined to no-hit the Mariners. No club has ever thrown three in a season. The last individual no-hitter by an Astros pitcher was by Mike Fiers on Aug. 21, 2015.
• Verlander needed 120 pitches to go the distance on Sunday, which set a new season high for the righty. However, it was far from his career high of 132, done twice. Sunday marked Verlander’s 57th outing in which he’s thrown at least 120 pitches, but just his second in an Astros uniform since coming over in a trade from Detroit almost two years ago to the day.
• Verlander started his outing off with a 93.6 mph fastball to Bo Bichette and ended the game with a 96.9 mph, also to Bichette. Verlander’s five fastest pitches of the outing -- two at 97.2 mph, one at 96.9 mph, and two at 96.3 mph -- all came in that final plate appearance of the game, in the ninth against Bichette.