It is taking at least 7,181 games for the San Diego Padres to get the team’s first no-hitter in franchise history.
For one of the other Major League teams born in 1969 – the Montreal Expos – it took just just nine games.
The franchise that relocated to Washington, D.C., to become the Nationals in 2005 accomplished the feat on April 17, 1969. Reliever-turned-starter Bill Stoneman struck out eight and walked five but gave up no-hits during the Expos’ 8-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Stoneman told newspaper reporters after the game that he wasn’t the least bit nervous: “I guess it’s because I was never even close to a no-hitter before.”
Stoneman would get one more no-no in 1972, and Expos pitchers would throw two more before the move to D.C., but no pitcher has accomplished the feat while wearing a Washington Nationals uniform.
Meanwhile, the Padres are still seeking their first, 45 years into the team’s history.
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