8 unbelievable stats, facts from Miley's no-no

May 8th, 2021

was unhittable on the mound in the Reds' 3-0 victory on Friday night, rendering Cleveland silent at the plate and putting himself into the record books. It’s the fourth no-hitter of 2021, and the second time the Indians have been on the losing end of one. When Amed Rosario reached on a Nick Senzel error in the sixth inning, it seemed like we might be in for another no-hitter that would’ve been perfect, save for one play, but Miley later walked Cesar Hernandez in the same frame.

There have been four no-hitters already this year, which means more healthy servings of fun facts and stats to contextualize them. Here are eight about Miley’s no-no.

  1. It was the 17th no-hitter in Reds franchise history, and the team’s first since Homer Bailey threw his second in two years, on July 2, 2013, against San Francisco -- a game Cincinnati also won, 3-0, and which also featured a delay (though the culprit was lighting, not weather). The club’s 17 no-hitters are tied with the Giants for second-most among National League teams, trailing the Dodgers (23), and fourth-most overall.
  1. For the Indians, the trend of being on the other side of history continues. It’s the 13th time they’ve been no-hit in franchise history -- but the first time it’s happened twice in a season, after they were no-hit by Carlos Rodón on April 14. Cleveland is the third team in MLB history to be no-hit twice within its first 31 games of a season, joining the 1917 White Sox and the 1884 Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the American Association, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It's also the eighth team to be no-hit twice in a span of 21 games or fewer in a single season. And it’s worth noting, with so much season left: No team has been no-hit three times in a season.
  1. This is just the second time in Major League history that there have been at least four no-hitters through May 7 in a season -- along with 1917, when there were five through that calendar date. The last no-hitter before Miley’s was John Means’ -- on May 5. It’s the shortest span between no-hitters across the Majors since 1990, when there were two no-hitters on the same day, on June 29 (Fernando Valenzuela and Dave Stewart).
  1. Miley allowed just one batted ball with an expected batting average above .390 during his historic night: a lineout to Franmil Reyes in the fifth inning with an expected batting average of .720. He allowed an average exit velocity of 84.7 mph, continuing a trend for Miley, who entered Friday with an average exit velocity allowed of just 83.6 mph, second-lowest in the Majors (minimum 75 batted balls).
  1. Prior to Miley’s no-no, the last no-hitter at Progressive Field was thrown by Angels right-hander Ervin Santana against the Indians on July 27, 2011. Santana gave up an unearned run in the first inning, due to an error by the shortstop and a wild pitch, but beyond that, only one Cleveland batter reached base -- Lonnie Chisenhall walked in the eighth inning. Santana struck out 10 on 105 pitches (76 strikes).
  1. Before the Indians were no-hit for the second time this season Friday night, the last time a team was no-hit twice in the same season was in 2019, when the Mariners were on the wrong end of combined no-hitters by the Angels (July 12) and the Astros (Aug. 3).
  1. This is the fourth no-hitter on May 7 in MLB history. Mike Fiers no-hit the Reds on May 7, 2019, Justin Verlander no-hit the Blue Jays on that date in 2011, and Jesse Barnes no-hit the Phillies on May 7, 1922.
  1. Home-plate umpire Lance Barksdale celebrated a first, too, on Friday night -- his first no-hitter behind the plate. He had been an umpire at other bases in no-hitters, but never at home plate. His career began at the MLB level in 2000, and he was promoted to full-time in '06.