Trivia Time: 8 2/3

A few weeks ago, Curt Schilling had a no hitter broken up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, as close as you can get to a no-no without getting it.

So, who holds the all-time major league record for having the most no-hitters broken up with two outs in the ninth inning?

(Answer after the jump)

Toronto’s Dave Stieb holds the record with three no-hitters broken up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  Two of these came back to back in his final two starts of the 1988 season, and the third—a potential perfect game—came the following year, in 1989.  Stieb had also lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning back in 1985, but it was with less than two outs.

Ironically, Stieb had published an autobiography entitled Tomorrow I’ll Be Perfect back in 1986, when he had lost only one no-hitter in the ninth, not knowing that he would go on to lose three more no-hitters in the ninth inning.  Stieb finally did throw a no-hitter in 1990, on the fifth time he took a no-hitter into the ninth, but he never did throw a perfect game.