Ervin Santana made history Wednesday morning in Cleveland, as he struck out 10 Indians en route to the ninth no-hitter in Angels history, beating the Indians 3-1. You might notice that Santana gave up a run, which was unearned; if anyone could find a way to lose a no-hitter this year, it would be Santana, who entered the day at 5-8 despite a 3.69 ERA. Here's a look at the Angels no-hitters, from Bo Belinsky to Mark Langston and Mike Witt:
- May 5, 1962 - Bo Belisnky beat the Orioles 2-0 in the Angels' second season. It was the first ever no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, which housed the Angels from 1962 to 1965.
- July 3, 1970 - Clyde Wright beat the A's 4-0 at The Big A
- May 15, 1973 - Nolan Ryan beats the Royals 3-0, with 12 strikeouts
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July 15, 1973 - Exactly two months after his first no-hitter, Ryan threw his second, beating the Tigers 6-0. This was the game during which Norm Cash of Detroit famously came to the plate with a table leg instead of a bat, saying he couldn't hit Ryan either way.
- September 28, 1974 - Ryan was at it again, beating the Twins 4-0. This was his first home no-hitter.
- June 1, 1975 - Ryan threw his fourth and final no-hitter for the Angels, beating Baltimore 1-0. Amazingly, Ryan would throw three more no-hitters in his career, with the final one coming 17 years later.
- September 30, 1984 - Mike Witt took advantage of the final day of the season and pitched a perfect game in Texas against the Rangers. Can't you just picture Rob Wilfong throwing the ball to Bobby Grich for the final out?
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April 11, 1990 - Mark Langston made his first start as an Angel, and he made it count, with seven no-hit innings against Seattle, one of his former teams. Witt, six years after his perfect game, got the final six outs to complete the combined no-no.
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Honorable mention: June 28, 2008 - Jered Weaver for six innings, and Jose Arredondo for two more, combined to allow no hits to the Dodgers. Unfortunately for the Angels, they allowed an unearned run and lost 1-0. Because the Angels only pitched eight innings in the complete game loss, they got no credit for the no-hitter.
Aside from Witt, Santana walked the fewest batters among the Angels no-hitters. Everyone else had three or more walks. Santana's was the fifth Angels no-hitter with 10 or more strikeouts, as Nolan Ryan did so three times and Mike Witt once.
For more news and information on Ervin Santana or the Angels, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Halos Heaven.