Jake Arrieta's no-hitter was the first of his career and the 14th in the long history of the Chicago Cubs.
It was the second no-hitter of this century and only the second no-hitter since 1972. Carlos Zambrano pitched the last no-hitter on Sept. 14, 2008 against the Houston Astros. Five of the 14 no-hitters occurred pre-1900.
SB Nation's Bleed Cubbie Blue put together a comprehensive look at each of the previous 13 no-hitters dating back to Larry Corcoran way back in 1880. Remember that one?
Aug. 19, 1880: Larry Corcoran, 6-0 over the Boston Red Caps. This no-no was the fourth in the history of the National League.
Sept. 20, 1882: Larry Corcoran, 5-0 over the Worcester Ruby Legs. Corcoran is one of two pitchers in franchise history to throw more than one no-hitter.
June 27, 1884: Larry Corcoran, 6-0 over the Providence Grays. Can you tell that Corcoran was pretty good at this? No one else threw more than two no-hitters until Sandy Koufax.
July 27, 1885: John Clarkson, 4-0 over the Providence Grays. This is the first no-hitter in franchise history thrown on the road.
Aug. 21, 1898: Walter Thornton, 2-0 over the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. After four no-hitters by righthanders, here's the first one in team history by a lefthander, and the first Cubs no-hitter thrown from the current 60-foot, six-inch mound distance. It was the second game of a doubleheader.
Aug. 31, 1915: Jimmy Lavender, 2-0 over the New York Giants. Lavender won 57 games in a six-year career with the Cubs; this was his only shutout in 1915. It was the first game of a doubleheader.
May 12, 1955: Sam Jones, 4-0 over the Pittsburgh Pirates. After nearly 40 years -- the longest gap between no-nos in Cubs history -- this one was thrown in front of just 2,918 at Wrigley Field, the first Wrigley no-hitter. It was the first one thrown by an African-American pitcher, and Jones issued seven walks. That included walking the bases loaded in the ninth inning, then striking out the side.
May 15, 1960: Don Cardwell, 4-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Cardwell had been acquired in a trade from the Phillies just two days earlier, and this was his first start as a Cub. He allowed only one baserunner, a first-inning walk to Alex Grammas, the closest any Cub has come to throwing a perfect game. This no-no, the second game of a doubleheader, was saved by a shoestring catch in left field by Walt "Moose" Moryn for the final out.
Aug. 19, 1969: Ken Holtzman, 3-0 over the Atlanta Braves. On a cool day for mid-August, with the wind blowing in strongly from left field, a ball hit by Hank Aaron that looked targeted for Waveland Avenue was blown back and caught in the well by Billy Williams. It's one of just two no-hitters in major-league history where the no-hit pitcher had no strikeouts. (Here's the other one, oddly enough, thrown by a different pitcher named Sam Jones.) Catcher Bill Heath was hit by a foul ball in his hand and left the game with what turned out to be a broken finger; it was his last major-league game.
June 3, 1971: Ken Holtzman, 1-0 over the Cincinnati Reds. Holtzman issued four walks and struck out six, and in the third inning reached base on an error and scored the only run of the game, becoming the second pitcher in club history to throw more than one no-hitter.
April 16, 1972: Burt Hooton, 4-0 over the Philadelphia Phillies. A players' strike delayed the start of the 1972 season, so this Sunday game, played in 40-degree temperatures with drizzle, was the second game of the year. Hooton, who was the Cubs' No. 1 draft pick the previous year, was making his fourth major-league start. He walked seven and struck out seven in his no-no.
Sept. 2, 1972: Milt Pappas, 8-0 over the San Diego Padres. With two out in the ninth inning on pinch-hitter Larry Stahl, plate umpire Bruce Froemming called a 3-2 pitch ball four, depriving Pappas of a perfect game. TV replays showed the pitch was borderline. Pappas completed the no-hitter, the Cubs' fifth in the previous 18 seasons, by retiring the next batter on an infield popup. To this day Pappas will tell you, if you ask him, how wrong Froemming was.
Sept, 14, 2008: Carlos Zambrano, 5-0 over the Houston Astros. This game, rescheduled at the last minute from Houston to Miller Park in Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike, is the only no-hitter in major-league history thrown at a neutral site. You wouldn't have known that from the roars for Big Z from the 23,441 in attendance, almost all of whom were Cubs fans (myself included) who had driven up from Chicago. Zambrano allowed one walk, hit one batter and struck out 10, the most K's by any Cub in a no-hitter until Arrieta had 12 in Sunday night's no-no.
(h/t SB Nation)
