The Cincinnati Reds' nightmare season went from bad to worse on Sunday.
The good news: the Reds managed to no-hit the Pirates. The bad news: Pittsburgh still managed to win the game.
Yes, the Pirates beat the Reds 1-0 despite failing to register a hit during their nine-inning contest. Pittsburgh loaded the bases on three straight walks in the 8th inning with one out and managed to score its lone run on a bases loaded fielder's choice from Ke'Bryan Hayes. Rodolfo Castro scored for the Pirates.
The Reds lost 1-0 to the Pirates despite not letting up a single hit 🤯
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 15, 2022
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/EZENX2deEg
Cincinnati managed to produce just four hits and was unable to score, as Jose Quintana, Chris Stratton and David Bednar combined to pitch the shutout for Pittsburgh.
As a result, the duo of Hunter Green and Art Warren — who pitched eight, no-hit innings — will join the annals of history as the latest pitching combination to allow no hits to a team and lose. They are not the only pair to have this happen to them, but it's something that has only been accomplished a handful of times in MLB history.
Here's a run-down of all the MLB pitchers that have thrown no-hitters during a loss since the first occurred in 1964.
MORE: Most recent no-hitter for each MLB team
MLB pitchers to throw a no-hitter and lose
Below is a full recap of all the MLB teams to throw no-hitters and lose.
Ken Johnson, Colt .45s — April 23, 1964, vs. Reds
Johnson was the first pitcher to lose a no-hitter. He pitched eight shutout innings before allowing a run in the top of the ninth inning, largely thanks to two errors by his teammates.
Johnson wasn't happy to lose, but he did acknowledge that he made history with his performance.
“It’s a heady feeling to know that you have a niche in history,” Johnson told The Sporting News in 1964. “So I made history tonight,” grinning as he said it. “Heck of a way to get into the books, isn’t it?”
Indeed, it was, but he was far from the last pitcher to meet that fate.
Steve Barber and Stu Miller, Orioles — April 30, 1967, vs. Tigers
The second no-hitter loss occurred just over three years after Johnson first achieved the feat. Barber and Miller rode a disappointing ninth inning into the history books, as the Tigers scored twice to take a 2-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The two runs came without the benefit of a hit. Barber walked two men to start the ninth inning and saw them move into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt. The tying run later scored after he threw a wild pitch.
Miller came in needing one out to preserve a tie going into the bottom of the inning. However, an error allowed the Tigers to score a second run, and that allowed them to win the game without generating a hit.
Barber was upset about the game's result, but he was angrier with himself after he issued a whopping 10 walks during the game.
"If you can’t get the ball over the plate you don’t deserve to win," he said.
MORE: When was the last MLB perfect game?
Andy Hawkins, Yankees — July 1, 1990, at White Sox
It took 23 years for another pitcher to lose a no-hitter, but it occurred when Hawkins lost a pitcher's duel to Greg Hibbard.
Hawkins pitched extremely well for the Yankees, but windy conditions (16 mph) derailed his no-hitter in the eighth inning. The bases were loaded after Sammy Sosa reached on an error and Hawkins walked two. Then, a couple of errors by left fielder Jim Leyritz and right fielder Jesse Barfield allowed the White Sox to score four runs without generating a hit. The White Sox won 4-0.
Hawkins' no-hitter nearly didn't occur, as the error that Sosa reached on was originally ruled a hit. However, the official scorer eventually confirmed that he had ruled it an error, given that third-baseman Mike Blowers had muffed the ball before failing to throw Sosa out at first.
Hawkins' no-hitter was the third of the weekend for MLB. Dave Stewart of the Athletics and Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers threw the other two, and Hawkins regretted that his didn't end like theirs did.
“This is not even close to the way I envisioned a no-hitter would be,” Hawkins told Michael Martinez of the New York Times after the game. “You dream of one, but you never think it’s going to be a loss. You think of Stewart and Fernando, coming off the field in jubilation. Not this.”
Matt Young, Red Sox — April 12, 1992, at Cleveland
Young didn't allow a hit in the Red Sox 2-1 loss to Cleveland in 1992. However, he had trouble with walks, and that ultimately cost his team the game.
Young walked seven batters during his no-hitter. When the Cleveland players got on base, they stole often, managing to swipe a total of six bases. Kenny Lofton scored the first run after stealing two bases and reaching on a throwing error. Later, two walks and two fielders choices allowed Cleveland to score its second run.
Young didn't put much stock in his achievement given that the team wasn't able to win.
"It's irrelevant, because we lost the game," he said, per MLB.com. "A no-hitter's supposed to be where you strike out the last guy and the catcher comes out and jumps in your arms. A loss is a loss."
Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo, Angels — June 28, 2008, at Dodgers
Weaver's no-hit loss was particularly painful for him. Why? Because he made a critical error that put Matt Kemp on base in the fifth inning.
Weaver was unable to field a weakly hit grounder that came at him and that put Kemp on first. From there, Kemp stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on a Blake DeWitt sacrifice fly.
Weaver was pulled after six innings and Arredondo finished the game. The Angels were unable to score and lost 1-0. That was the only result Weaver cared about after the game.
"I'm sure you guys are going to eat this up a lot more than I am," he said of the result, per MLB.com. "I don't consider it a no-hitter for me."
Hunter Greene and Art Warren, Reds — May 15, 2022, at Pirates
Greene and Warren's loss to the Pirates was a painful one. Greene pitched a gem through seven innings, but he lost control in the eighth. He got the first out but then walked two batters, which resulted in him being replaced.
Warren came onto the mound and promptly walked the first batter he faced. That loaded the bases with one out and allowed Ke'Bryan Hayes to drive in the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice groundout to second. The Pirates went on to win 1-0.
Greene, 22, was MLB's youngest starter at the time of his combined no-hitter. His no-hitter was the third of the 2022 MLB season. The first was a combined effort from five Mets pitchers while the second was completed by Angels rookie Reid Detmers.
