Blue Jays Double-A affiliate does something the big league team has only done once

It is not too often when an MLB organization’s minor league affiliate outdoes their respective major league team. But the Toronto Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, has done exactly that with this past Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets Double-A affiliate Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

By winning the contest 6-0 over the Rumble Ponies, the Fisher Cats recorded their fifth-ever no-hitter in franchise history. Four New Hampshire pitchers in Jackson Wentworth, Nate Garkow, Irv Carter and Kai Peterson combined to carry out the feat together. In fact, the Fisher Cats have been very good at it, as it was also the second consecutive season in which they have registered a no-hitter.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats recorded a combined no-hitter this week

It is certainly quite the accomplishment, given that their parent club, the Blue Jays have only achieved this once over their 50 years of existence. That, of course, came courtesy of one of the Blue Jays’ greatest pitchers of all time in Dave Stieb.

Stieb actually came very close on a few occasions prior to tossing his one and only no-hitter. But finally on September 2nd in 1990, he completed the feat on the road against the Cleveland Indians with the Blue Jays winning the game 3-0.

Toronto fans of a certain age will always remember the final moments when Indians infielder Jerry Browne lined the ball to right field where Junior Felix would make the catch to record the final out of the game. Felix would pump his fists in the air while Stieb would grab the side of his hat and raise his right hand in the air as a sign of relief that he finally did it after all of the close calls.

Since then, the Blue Jays came close a few times to accomplishing a no-hitter once again, most notably from the legendary Roy Halladay. In just the second start of his MLB career, Halladay took the mound against the Detroit Tigers on September 27, 1998. Halladay would go on to hold the Tigers hitless all the way until the ninth inning when he would lose the no-hitter due to a home run to pinch hitter Bobby Higginson.

In terms of the most recent pitchers to come close, Bowden Francis took a no-hitter twice into the ninth inning during his surging 2024 performance down the stretch, only to see it disappear on a home run to the first batter he faced in that inning both times.

With the Blue Jays now having the likes of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage in their starting rotation, it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them finally records one before the season is over. Nevertheless, Toronto will have their work cut out for them as they are still ways away from catching up to New Hampshire and their five no-hitters that they have already recorded in their history.

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