The Houston Astros franchise, which joined the National League as an expansion franchise in 1962 under the name Houston Colt .45’s, have 11 no-hitters over the team’s history. That No. 12 ranking is pretty impressive, considering several franchises that have been around much longer haven’t reached that mark.
In one of the oddest no-hitters in major league history, the Astros’ Ken Johnson no-hit the Cincinnati Reds in 1964 but lost the game 1-0 due to errors. Johnson remains the only single pitcher to lose a nine-inning no-hitter.
The Astros also set the record for most pitchers used in a no-hitter (six), although the mark has since been tied.
Here are the Houston Astros’ no-hitters:
| 1 | Don Nottebart |
|---|---|
| HOUSTON COLT .45’s (NL) | |
| Friday, May 17, 1963 Houston Colt .45s 4, Philadelphia Phillies 1 Colt Stadium (Houston) (Mets’ expansion partner gets first no hitter early in second season; the Mets would have to wait 49 more years.) |
|
| 2 | Ken Johnson |
| HOUSTON COLT .45’s (NL) | |
| Thursday, April 23, 1964 Cincinnati Reds 1, Houston Colt .45s 0 (a loss) Colt Stadium (Houston) | |
| 3 | Don Wilson |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Sunday, June 18, 1967 Houston Astros 2, Atlanta Braves 0 Astrodome (Houston) (His first of two no-hitters) |
|
| 4 | Don Wilson |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Thursday, May 1, 1969 Houston Astros 4, Cincinnati Reds 0 Crosley Field (Cincinnati) (His second of two no-hitters) |
|
| 5 | Larry Dierker |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Friday, July 9, 1976 Houston Astros 6, Montreal Expos 0 Astrodome (Houston) | |
| 6 | Ken Forsch |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Saturday, April 7, 1979 Houston Astros 6, Atlanta Braves 0 Astrodome (Houston) (Ken and Bob Forsch become the first brothers to pitch MLB no-hitters.) |
|
| 7 | Nolan Ryan |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Saturday, September 26, 1981 Houston Astros 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 0 Astrodome (Houston) (His fifth of seven no-hitters, setting a new major league record with one more than Sandy Koufax.) |
|
| 8 | Mike Scott |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Thursday, September 25, 1986 Houston Astros 2, San Francisco Giants 0 Astrodome (Houston) (Game clinches National Leauge West division for Astros.) |
|
| 10 | Darryl Kile |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Wednesday, September 8, 1993 Houston Astros 7, New York Mets 1 Astrodome (Houston) | |
| 11 | Roy Oswalt (1 inn.) Peter Munro (2 2/3 inn.) Kirk Saarloos (1 1/3 inn.) Brad Lidge (2 inn.) Octavio Dotel (1 inn.) Billy Wagner (1 inn.) |
| Houston Astros (NL team in IL game) | |
| Wednesday, June 11, 2003 Houston Astros 8, New York Yankees 0 Yankee Stadium (New York) (Most pitchers used in a no hitter in MLB history.) |
Here’s our list so far from 12 to 30:
No-hitters thrown by franchise
| 11 | Houston Astros |
|---|---|
| (Houston Colt .45’s) | |
| 10 | Los Angeles Angels |
| (California Angels/Anaheim Angels) | |
| 10 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| (St. Louis Browns/St. Louis Perfectos) | |
| 9 | Baltimore Orioles |
| (Milwaukee Brewers/St. Louis Browns) | |
| 7 | Minnesota Twins |
| (Washington Senators) | |
| 7 | Detroit Tigers |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| (Pittsburgh Alleghenys) | |
| 5 | Texas Rangers |
| 5 | Miami Marlins |
| 5 | Washington Nationals |
| 4 | Kansas City Royals |
| 4 | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 1 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 1 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 1 | Colorado Rockies |
| 1 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) | |
| 1 | New York Mets |
| 0 | San Diego Padres |
Feature photo: Astrodome 1969 Baseball Game by Bill Wilson licensed under (CC by 2.0)
