May 19, 2021. A Wednesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and Corey Kluber -- two-time Cy Young winner, coming off two straight seasons wrecked by injury -- no-hit the Texas Rangers to give the New York Yankees a 2-0 win. Nine innings, one walk, nine strikeouts, 101 pitches. It was the first no-hitter thrown by a Yankee since David Cone's perfect game in 1999, and somehow it wasn't even the strangest part of his year.
He'd earned the nickname Klubot for a reason -- flat delivery, no wasted motion, machine-like command. That night in Arlington, the machine came one four-pitch walk away from freakin' perfect.
The Guy Who Couldn't Stay Healthy
Kluber won his Cy Youngs in 2014 and 2017 with Cleveland, back when he was as automatic as any starter in baseball. Then a comebacker fractured his forearm in 2019, Cleveland shipped him to Texas that December, and his Rangers debut lasted exactly one inning before a torn teres major shut him down for the rest of 2020. The Rangers didn't even bother picking up his option -- they ate a $1 million buyout and moved on.
The Yankees bet $11 million on him anyway, a one-year "prove it" deal signed that January. (Brian Cashman's had worse ideas.) Nine starts into the 2021 season, Kluber proved it.
Nine Up, Barely
This wasn't a Wells-style stroll. Kluber walked Charlie Culberson on four pitches in the third inning -- the only baserunner of the night -- and had to work for every other out that followed. He wasn't blowing anybody away, either. This was command and guile, a guy who'd never thrown hard getting hitters to chase pitches just off the plate for nine straight innings.
The Yankees managed only two runs of their own, both in the sixth. Kyle Higashioka led off with a walk, scored on a triple from Tyler Wade, and DJ LeMahieu brought Wade home with a sacrifice fly. That was the whole offensive night (not exactly a laugher, but nobody in the building cared about the score) -- Kluber didn't need more than that, and Higashioka made sure of it behind the plate. (Two years later, Higashioka caught Domingo Germán's perfect game too, becoming the third Yankees catcher ever to catch multiple no-hitters, joining Yogi Berra and Joe Girardi. Not bad company for a backup.)
It was the 12th no-hitter in franchise history. Nearly twenty-two years since the last one. Cone had needed a perfect game to do it; Kluber just needed to survive one walk.
Then He Vanished
Six days later, against Toronto, Kluber lasted three innings before getting pulled -- his shoulder felt "heavy," he said, not painful like the tear that wrecked his 2020. An MRI found a strain in the subscapularis muscle. He landed on the 10-day IL, then the 60-day IL a week after that, and the Yankees were staring down two months without him. Manager Aaron Boone didn't think the no-hitter itself had caused it. Didn't matter. The rotation had to move on without him regardless.
Kluber didn't come back until August 30, and it started fine -- three clean innings against the Angels -- before a five-run fourth included a first-pitch grand slam off the bat of Jack Mayfield. He finished 2021 at 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA over 16 games, solid when he was actually on the mound, which wasn't often enough. He signed with Tampa Bay the following winter and never pitched for the Yankees again. One no-hitter, one shoulder, one season. That was the whole run.
| Date | May 19, 2021 (Wednesday) |
| Score | Yankees 2, Rangers 0 |
| Location | Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX |
| Kluber's Pitching Line | 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 101 pitches |
| The Walk | Charlie Culberson, 3rd inning, on four pitches |
| Yankees' Runs | 6th inning -- Higashioka walk, scored on Wade triple; LeMahieu sac fly |
| No-Hitter Significance | 12th in Yankees history; first since Cone's 1999 perfect game |
| 2021 Season Line | 16 G, 5-3, 3.83 ERA, 82 K, 80.0 IP |
Traded to Texas
Cleveland deals the two-time Cy Young winner to the Rangers for Delino DeShields Jr. and pitching prospect Emmanuel Clase, closing the book on Kluber's Cleveland years.
One Inning, Then Gone
Kluber tears his teres major muscle in his Rangers debut and misses the rest of the shortened season. Texas declines his $18 million option for a $1 million buyout.
Signs with the Yankees
The Yankees officially sign Kluber to a one-year, $11 million prove-it deal.
No-Hitter in Arlington
Kluber no-hits the Rangers 2-0, walking only Charlie Culberson and striking out nine -- the Yankees' first no-hitter since 1999.
The Shoulder Goes
Six days later, Kluber lasts three innings against Toronto before exiting with shoulder tightness, later diagnosed as a subscapularis strain.
Returns from the IL
Kluber comes back after a three-month absence and cruises through three innings against the Angels before a five-run fourth includes a first-pitch grand slam from Jack Mayfield.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Corey Kluber throw a no-hitter for the Yankees?
May 19, 2021, at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Kluber no-hit the Texas Rangers 2-0, walking one batter (Charlie Culberson) and striking out nine over 101 pitches.
Was Corey Kluber's no-hitter a perfect game?
No. Kluber walked Charlie Culberson on four pitches in the third inning, the only Rangers baserunner of the night. It was still the first no-hitter thrown by a Yankee since David Cone's 1999 perfect game.
What happened to Corey Kluber after his no-hitter?
Six days later, on May 25, 2021, Kluber exited a start against Toronto after three innings with shoulder tightness. An MRI revealed a subscapularis strain, and he missed roughly three months, returning on August 30, 2021. He finished the season 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 16 games and signed with Tampa Bay the following offseason.
How many no-hitters have the Yankees thrown?
Kluber's was the 12th no-hitter in franchise history and the first since David Cone's perfect game on July 18, 1999 -- a gap of nearly 22 years.
Who caught Corey Kluber's no-hitter?
Kyle Higashioka. He also caught Domingo Germán's perfect game in 2023, making him the third Yankees catcher to catch multiple no-hitters, after Yogi Berra and Joe Girardi.