Diamondbacks pitchers have thrown three no-hitters in franchise history, and the pitchers who threw them could not be any more different.
One was a legendary Hall of Famer and one was the very definition of a well-traveled pitcher, while the third was one year removed from being an electrician.
Here’s a look at each game:
The Big Unit's perfecto, May 18, 2004
It was pure dominance.
The D-backs were on the road in Atlanta. That Braves were led by perennial All-Star Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones, who will be enshrined with Johnson in Cooperstown this summer. Atlanta went on to win 96 games and capture the National League East that year.
On this particular night, none of that mattered, as Johnson made history in a 2-0 D-backs win.
"A game like this was pretty special," Johnson said after the game. "It doesn't come along very often."
The legendary Cy Young, at 37, had previously been the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game. Johnson was 40. It didn't show, though.
Johnson fanned 13. He went to three balls on a hitter just once -- in the second inning. He recorded the final out on his 117th pitch.
"This is one of those nights where a superior athlete was on top of his game," D-backs manager Bob Brenly said after Johnson's masterpiece. "There was a tremendous rhythm out there. His focus, his concentration, his stuff -- everything was as good as it could possibly be."
Johnson threw the first no-hitter of his career in 1990, when he played for the Mariners. Somehow, he topped it 14 years later.
Jackson's no-no vs. Rays, June 25, 2010
There had already been three no-hitters that season before Jackson's, but his was certainly the most unconventional.
Jackson walked seven batters in the first three innings and eight overall, he hit a batter and watched another reach base via an error.
The D-backs won, 1-0, and Jackson had completed the no-hitter after 149 pitches. From the sixth inning on, Arizona manager A.J. Hinch and Jackson talked about when it'd be time to pull him.
But Jackson refused to give in.
"It's one of those moments where I tell [Hinch], 'I'm not coming out until I give up a hit or home run,'" Jackson, then 26, told reporters after the game. "You want to skip my next start, that's fine. Give me an extra day [off], that's fine.
"It's one of those opportunities that doesn't come every day. And for me to come out of that game without giving up a hit, it would have been 'What if? What if I would have stayed in?' I'm glad it didn't have to be a what-if situation."
Two years earlier, Jackson tied for the staff lead with 14 wins for a Rays team that won its first American League pennant in franchise history.
"It's one of those moments where you're just caught up in the moment, just try to get zoned in and tell yourself that if it's meant to be, it'll happen," Jackson said.
An unlikely no-no, Aug. 14, 2021
In 2020, with the Minor League season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tyler Gilbert was working as an electrician with his father to make ends meet in Northern California while also throwing bullpens when he could to try to stay in shape. One year later, he pitched his way into the record books by throwing a no-hitter in his first big league start -- a 7-0 victory over the Padres at Chase Field.
Gilbert had made three relief appearances, including his Major League debut, before being tabbed to replace Caleb Smith in the starting rotation.
Gilbert, 27, became just the fourth player to throw a no-hitter in his first career start. The last pitcher to do it was Bobo Holloman in 1953. The other two happened before 1900.
"For me, it's what Major League Baseball or the game of baseball is all about -- as long as you have a uniform, as long as you give the right effort, anything's possible," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said after the game. "It lined up perfectly for him today. We're all celebrating him."