List of Tampa Bay Rays no-hitters
The Tampa Bay Rays (formerly "Tampa Bay Devil Rays" (1998–2007)) are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Formed in 1998, they play in the American League East division. Pitchers for the Rays have thrown one no-hitter in franchise history, which was accomplished by Matt Garza on July 26, 2010.[1] A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only “when a pitcher (or pitchers) retires each batter on the opposing team during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings”.[2] No-hitters of less than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 changed the rule to its current form.[3] A no-hitter is rare enough that one team in Major League Baseball has never had a pitcher accomplish the feat. [a]
The umpire is also an integral part of any no-hitter. The task of the umpire in a baseball game is to make any decision “which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out… [the umpire's judgment on such matters] is final.”[4] Part of the duties of the umpire making calls at home plate includes defining the strike zone, which "is defined as that area over homeplate (sic) the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap."[4] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.[5]
The manager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager include determining the starting rotation as well as batting order and defensive lineup every game.
No perfect games, a special subcategory of no-hitter, have been thrown in Rays history.[6] As defined by Major League Baseball, “in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game.”[2]
List of no-hitters in Rays history
| ¶ | Indicates a perfect game |
| £ | Pitcher was left-handed |
| * | Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
| # | Date | Pitcher | Final score | Base- runners |
Opponent | Catcher | Plate umpire | Manager | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 26, 2010 | Garza, MattMatt Garza | 5–0 | 1 | Detroit Tigers | Shoppach, KellyKelly Shoppach | Hickox, EdEd Hickox | Maddon, JoeJoe Maddon |
|
[7] |
See also
Notes
- a The only team without a no-hitter in franchise history is the San Diego Padres.
References
- ↑ "Tampa Bay Rays Franchise History". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- 1 2 "MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ Kurkjian, Tim (June 29, 2008). "No-hit win makes no sense, except in baseball". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- 1 2 "Umpires: Rules of Interest". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ Bronson, Eric. Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter's Box, Pgs 98–99. ISBN 0-8126-9556-9. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Tampa Bay Rays". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ "July 26, 2010 Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2010.