Tag Archives: Corey Kluber

Kluber on short list of former S.A. minor leaguers with no hitters in the majors

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Right-hander Corey Kluber on Wednesday night became at least the seventh former San Antonio minor leaguer to throw a no-hitter in the majors.

In his first season with the New York Yankees, Kluber fired the first no-hitter of his career in downing the Texas Rangers 2-0 in Arlington.

It was the sixth no hitter in baseball this season and the second in two nights, raising eyebrows around the country. Spencer Turnbull of the Detroit Tigers did it in Seattle late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.

The MLB record for a season is seven.

Coming up in the minor leagues, Kluber, from Coppell High School in the DFW MetroPlex, pitched for the Missions in 2009 and 2010 as a San Diego Padres prospect.

He went on to win Cy Young Awards for the Cleveland Indians in 2014 and 2017 before an injury derailed him last season when he was with the Rangers.

Here’s a list of former San Antonio minor leaguers (that I know of) who have thrown no hitters in the majors. We’ll update this information if others come to our attention:

Corey Kluber, May 19, 2021, for the Yankees against the Rangers. With the Missions: 2009, 2010.

Felix Hernandez, Aug. 15, 2012, for the Seattle Mariners. He beat the Tampa Bay Rays (perfect game). With the Missions: 2004

Ramon Martinez, July 14, 1995, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He beat the Florida Marlins 7-0 at Dodger Stadium. With the Missions: 1988.

Fernando Valenzuela, June 29, 1990, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0, at Dodger Stadium. With the San Antonio Dodgers: 1980.

Dave Stewart, June 29, 1990, for the Oakland A’s. He beat the Toronto Blue Jays at SkyDome in Toronto. With the San Antonio Dodgers: 1978.

Dennis Eckersley, May 30, 1977, for the Cleveland Indians. He beat the California Angels, 1-0. With the San Antonio Brewers (an Indians affiliate), 1974.

Joel Horlen, Sept. 10, 1967, for the Chicago White Sox. He beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-0. With the San Antonio Brewers (an Indians affiliate), 1973.

From Kluber to Tatis, former Missions continue to chase the dream

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Minor league baseball fans in San Antonio are ready to see some games again.

Last year, the season was canceled because of the pandemic. This summer, the Missions will return for their 119th season in San Antonio. The Missions begin their new era affiliated with the San Diego Padres, playing as a member of the Double-A Central League. For the season opener, they’ll take on the Houston Astros-affiliated Corpus Christi Hooks on May 4 in Corpus Christi .

The Missions’ home opener at Wolff Stadium is set for Tuesday, May 18, against the Frisco RoughRiders. We won’t see a roster for another two or three weeks.

But, history suggests that we’ll have a good time this summer sorting out and identifying the major league prospects.

As a Padres affiliate from 2007 through 2018, the Missions won three Texas League championships and made seven playoff appearances. During the affiliation, fans in San Antonio were able to see the likes of Corey Kluber, Trea Turner and Fernando Tatis Jr. In one season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Missions in 2019 played host to fan favorites such as Keston Hiura and Mauricio Dubon.

Keston Hiura played for the San Antonio Missions for part of the 2019 season before being called up by the Milwaukee Brewers. - photo by Joe Alexander

The Milwaukee Brewers have moved power-hitting Keston Hiura to first base this season. Hiura played second in San Antonio in 2019. – photo by Joe Alexander

The Major League Baseball season kicked off on April 1. Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Indians, pitched his first game for the Yankees on April 3.

So, we’ll take a minute to identify teams you can follow to keep track of your former Missions’ favorites. One note of caution. This is a working list, not likely inclusive of all active major leaguers who have played in San Antonio. But, it’s as many as we could find, and we promise to add more names as they come to our attention.

(Years with the Missions are in parentheses).

Boston Red Sox — Franchy Cordero (2016), Hunter Renfroe (2014-15), Matt Andriese (2013).

Washington Nationals — Joe Ross (2014), Trea Turner (2015), Hernan Perez (2019).

San Diego Padres — Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2017-18), Trent Grisham (2019), Dinelson Lamet (2016), Chris Paddack (2018), Taylor Williams (2019), x-Trey Wingenter (2017).

Oakland A’s — Burch Smith (2013, 2019).

New York Yankees — Corey Kluber (2009-10).

Milwaukee Brewers — Corbin Burnes, Keston Hiura, Adrian Houser, Brent Suter, Devin Williams, Travis Shaw (all 2019), Luis Urias (2017).

Trent Grisham played for the San Antonio Missions for part of the 2019 season before being called up by the Milwaukee Brewers. - photo by Joe Alexander

Trent Grisham won a Gold Glove for his play in the outfield with the San Diego Padres last year. Grisham was a Brewers organization player at Triple-A San Antonio in 2019. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Miami Marlins — Anthony Bass (2011), Adam Cimber (2015-16-17).

San Francisco Giants — Mauricio Dubon (2019), Matt Wisler (2013-14).

Seattle Mariners — Ty France (2017-18), Nick Margevicius (2018).

Chicago Cubs — Eric Sogard (2009).

Atlanta Braves — Drew Smiley (2019).

Los Angeles Dodgers — Jimmy Nelson (2019).

Cleveland Indians — Franmil Reyes (2017), Josh Naylor (2017-18), Austin Hedges (2013-14), Logan Allen (2018), Cal Quantrill (2017-18), Ben Gamel (2019).

St. Louis Cardinals — Miles Mikolas (2011).

New York Mets — Jacob Barnes (2019).

x-injured list