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This Day In Sports…August 14, 2021, five years ago today:
In a season flush with no-hitters, this one stands out. Tyler Gilbert of the Arizona Diamondbacks becomes the first pitcher in 68 years to throw a no-hitter in his first Major League start, beating the San Diego Padres 7-0. And he did it for a D-Backs team that was 38-80, the worst record in the majors at the time. Gilbert had been called up from Triple-A 11 days earlier and had made three appearances out of the bullpen before his gem.
It was the eighth no-hitter in the majors that season, tying a record that was set in 1884, the first year that overhand pitching was allowed. And there would be one more in September to break the mark, as Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader combined to toss a no-hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers. Experts think the surge was fostered by batters selling out for power and striking out a lot, as well as the most sophisticated placement yet of players in the “shift” before the tactic was severely restricted in 2023.
The list of pitchers to throw no-hitters in 2021 is not exactly a “who’s who” of baseball. The first one came from Joe Musgrove of the Padres, the first one in that franchise’s 52-year history. Then you had Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox, John Means of the Baltimore Orioles, Wade Miley of the Cincinnati Reds, Spencer Turnbull of the Detroit Tigers, Cory Kluber of the New York Yankees, a combo by Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Craig Kimbrel of the Chicago Cubs, Gilbert, and the aforementioned Brewers duo.
Gilbert’s no-hitter was not an omen. He finished the 2021 season in good shape, going 2-2 with a 3.15 ERA. But he didn’t win another game for the Diamondbacks over the next two seasons and landed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2024—and then the Chicago White Sox in 2025, when he went 4-2 in 46 appearances. But this season didn’t begin well for Gilbert, and he was placed on the injured list in early June. When he was activated early this month, he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, where he’s pitching currently. The no-hitter is one of only six career MLB wins for Gilbert to date.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
