Madison Bumgarner Throws No Hitter in Double Header Seven Inning Game

When Major League Baseball decided to make games of double headers seven innings last season, and continued that policy this season, it was only a matter of time before a pitcher threw a shortened no hitter. That happened for the first time on April 25th when Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner no hit the Braves in Game 2 of the Diamondbacks’ sweep of Atlanta.

Bumgarner gets credit for a complete game shutout, but not a no hitter in his 7-0 victory in Atlanta. Before 1991, it would have been considered a no hitter, but that year, baseball changed the definition of an eligible game to one of nine or more innings without a hit.

The one time ace of the San Francisco Giants pitching staff, Bumgarner is in his second year with the Diamondbacks. He started the season terribly; after his first three starts, he was 0-2 with a 11.20 ERA. His fourth start was better, just one run and two hits in five innings against the Nationals, good for his 1st win of the season. In the win over the Braves, he struck out seven and walked none, with the only player to reach base did so on an error. Bumgarner, now 2-2, still has an ERA of 6.31 but these last two outings show that the 31 year old in his 12th season still has something left in the tank.