On October 3, 2015, Max Scherzer threw what Sports Info Solutions called the best game of the 21st century: nine innings, no hits, no walks, 17 strikeouts, and a Game Score of 104 against the Mets at Citi Field. Washington won 2-0 in the second game of a doubleheader. The only reason it wasn’t a perfect game? A throwing error by Yunel Escobar in the sixth inning.
The number that says it all: Game Score 104
Game Score is a metric created by Bill James that distills a starter’s dominance into a single number — essentially the final grade for a pitching performance. An average outing sits around 50; anything above 80 is elite. Scherzer’s 104 that night is the highest Game Score ever recorded for a no-hitter, and the second-highest ever for any nine-inning start — just one point below the 105 Kerry Wood posted when he struck out 20 in 1998.
And the Mets that day were no pushover lineup: they finished the season with the best record in the National League. Of the 28 batters Scherzer faced — one more than the minimum, thanks to Escobar’s error — 17 went down on strikes. The only baserunner never touched the ball: Kevin Plawecki hit a grounder in the sixth that Escobar threw away into the seats at first base.
Nine straight strikeouts to close it out — then a popup
Down the stretch, Scherzer retired nine consecutive batters by strikeout, nearly matching Tom Seaver’s all-time NL record of ten straight. He entered the ninth with the no-hitter locked up, and the final out wasn’t a punchout: Curtis Granderson popped up to the infield to end it.
The full line: 109 pitches, 80 strikes. The Mets swung at 40 fastballs and missed 19 of them — a 48% miss rate, the second-highest of Scherzer’s career on any pitch with at least 30 swings, per Sports Info Solutions.
It was also the greatest game in Expos/Nationals franchise history, ahead of any start by Pedro Martínez in Montreal or Stephen Strasburg in Washington, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Two no-hitters in one season — without a single walk in either
What makes October 3 even bigger is the context. This was Scherzer’s second no-hitter of the 2015 season. The first came on June 20 against Pittsburgh, where he was one strike away from a perfect game before hitting José Tabata with a pitch.
With that pair, Scherzer became the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1973 to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season. Only four others had done it in all of MLB history:
- Johnny Vander Meer (1938) — in back-to-back starts
- Allie Reynolds (1951)
- Virgil Trucks (1952)
- Nolan Ryan (1973)
Roy Halladay also threw two in 2010, but one of his came in the postseason.
Here’s the detail that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: Scherzer didn’t issue a single walk in either no-hitter. No pitcher in MLB history has thrown two no-hitters in the same season without walking a single batter in either one.
That October 3 doubleheader also produced 35 combined strikeouts between Scherzer and Matt Harvey — a Major League record for a nine-inning game.
