Warren Spahn No-Hits the Phillies at Age 39

On September 16, 1960, Warren Spahn threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies and struck out 15 batters in a 4-0 Milwaukee victory. He was 39 years old. No pitcher that age had thrown a no-hitter in the National League before.

Spahn's 15 strikeouts were the most he ever recorded in a nine-inning game, and the 18th and final time he fanned 10 or more. He retired the last batter, Bobby Malkmus, on his 108th pitch. The game took two hours and two minutes. Spahn threw 73 strikes and walked two.

The win was his 20th of the season, the 11th time he reached that mark in 13 seasons. Only Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson had done it more often. The no-hitter was also his 51st career shutout.

Spahn had lost three and a half years of his career to military service in World War II. He fought at the Battle of the Bulge, earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, and didn't win his first major league game until he was 25. The years he lost to the war make his career totals even more striking. He finished with 363 wins, more than any other left-hander in history.

Seven months later, on April 28, 1961, Spahn threw a second no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants, at age 40. He was the oldest pitcher in National League history to throw a no-hitter, a distinction he held until Randy Johnson surpassed him in 2004. Cy Young and Nolan Ryan both threw no-hitters at older ages in the American League.