In a rich history dating back more than 150 years, the Braves have had their share of memorable pitching performances.
From Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta, the Braves have thrown 14 no-hitters in franchise history, although they have one of the longest active no-hitter droughts in the Major Leagues.
Here’s a look at each of the club’s 14 no-nos.
Atlanta era (since 1966)
April 8, 1994: Kent Mercker
Braves 6, Dodgers 0
Mercker got a rare opportunity to make the final out of his no-hitter at Dodger Stadium in the field. He snagged a chopper back to the mound from Los Angeles’ Eric Karros and flipped it to first base to complete the no-no. The lefty worked around four walks, including two in the first inning, and struck out 10. He finished strong, retiring the final 11 Dodgers, while Fred McGriff, Terry Pendleton and David Justice all homered for Atlanta.
Sept. 11, 1991: Kent Mercker (6 IP), Mark Wohlers (2), Alejandro Pena (1)
Braves 1, Padres 0
In addition to his solo effort, Mercker was part of a combined no-hitter tossed by the pennant-winning 1991 Braves. The southpaw finished six innings with only two baserunners but was lifted after 82 pitches in what was only his second start of the season. Wohlers retired all six batters he faced between the seventh and eighth, and a controversial error called on Pendleton on a ninth-inning ground ball to third preserved Atlanta’s no-no.
Aug. 5, 1973: Phil Niekro
Braves 9, Padres 0
Braves fielding errors in the third and fourth innings were the only blemishes against Niekro until the sixth, when he issued his first walk with one out. The Hall of Fame knuckleballer issued two more free passes in the seventh before escaping the jam and powering through a perfect eighth and ninth. All three of Niekro’s strikeouts came in the final two frames of his only career no-hitter.
Milwaukee era (1953-1965)
April 28, 1961: Warren Spahn
Braves 1, Giants 0
One of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time, Spahn threw his second no-hitter for the Braves five days after his 40th birthday and remains one of the oldest pitchers to throw a no-no. He baffled a Giants lineup featuring Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda, allowing just two walks and erasing both baserunners on double plays to face the minimum 27 batters.
Sept. 16, 1960: Warren Spahn
Braves 4, Phillies 0
Spahn’s first no-hitter came shortly before his second, as he absolutely dominated the Phillies in a late-season game in Milwaukee. At age 39, the southpaw retired the final 14 Philadelphia hitters he faced and finished with 15 strikeouts in all against just two walks. It was one of the finest games of Spahn’s 21-year Hall of Fame career.
Aug. 18, 1960: Lew Burdette
Braves 1, Phillies 0
Only hitting Tony Gonzalez with a pitch in the fifth inning kept Burdette from a perfect game, but he still finished one of two Braves no-nos against the Phillies in less than a month. He had to help his own cause at the plate: Burdette led off the bottom of the eighth in a scoreless game with a double, then scored on a Bill Bruton two-bagger. It was just enough offense for Burdette to finish his no-no.
June 12, 1954: Jim Wilson
Braves 2, Phillies 0
1954 was the first of three straight All-Star seasons for Wilson, who in 1945 suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by a Hank Greenberg line drive on the mound but recovered in time to return the following season. In June 1954, he pitched a no-hitter against the Phillies, outdueling Hall of Fame righty Robin Roberts in the process. He walked two hitters and struck out six for the first no-hitter at Milwaukee’s County Stadium.
Boston era (1871-1952)
Aug. 11, 1950: Vern Bickford
Braves 7, Dodgers 0
Bickford actually walked more batters (four) than he struck out (three) against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the final Boston Braves no-hitter on record. He navigated a star-studded lineup including Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges and Roy Campanella, getting Snider to ground into a game-ending double play after issuing two walks in the ninth inning.
April 27, 1944: Jim Tobin
Braves 2, Dodgers 0
Tobin’s bid for a perfect game sure didn’t last long: He walked Dodgers leadoff man Paul Waner to start the contest. Then he retired the next 26 Brooklyn hitters, a streak that only ended when Waner drew another walk with two outs in the ninth. Tobin got Dixie Walker to ground out to finish off his no-hitter, an impressive feat for a Braves team that came into the game with a 1-6 record.
June 16, 1916: Tom Hughes
Braves 2, Pirates 0
Two walks (including one to Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner) and an error was all the Pirates could muster against Hughes, who struck out seven in a commanding performance in Boston. He was helped offensively by Braves star Rabbit Maranville, who scored both runs -- one in the first inning on an error and the other in the eighth on a steal of home. Hughes struck out Wagner in the ninth for the final out.
Sept. 9, 1914: George Davis
Braves 7, Phillies 0
The Braves suffered a 10-3 defeat at the hands of the Phillies in Game 1 of a doubleheader, but Davis had the answer in Game 2. He even escaped a fifth-inning jam of his own making, walking the first three batters before a strikeout and a double play. Davis finished with five walks and four strikeouts, as well as three hits of his own at the plate.
May 8, 1907: Big Jeff Pfeffer
Doves 6, Reds 0
Pfeffer -- whose given name was Francis Xavier Pfeffer -- delivered a career day against the Reds for a Boston club then known as the Doves, completing a no-no despite allowing a walk and hitting a batter. Like every subsequent Braves no-hitter until Mercker’s solo no-no effort in 1994, it took place at home.
Aug. 7, 1899: Vic Willis
Boston 7, Washington Senators 1
Willis’ effort is officially recognized as a no-hitter, although this might be due to misreported information: Accounts that appeared in local newspapers at the time showed the Senators with one hit, by pitcher Bill Dinneen. But official statistics say differently, crediting Willis with what was then the second no-hitter in franchise history.
Aug. 6, 1892: Jack Stivetts
Beaneaters 11, Grooms 0
Nicknamed “Happy Jack” for his sunny disposition, Stivetts took the mound the day after hitting a game-winning home run in extra innings. In this game, he doubled and tripled while no-hitting the Brooklyn Grooms on the road. He helped the Boston Beaneaters post a 102-48 record and lead the National League in 1892.