Yankees: Ranking Corey Kluber’s no-no among recent NYY pitching surprises

2. Corey Kluber’s No-Hitter

Why isn’t it No. 1? Based on pitcher pedigree and the rivalry involved, we found one bigger stunner for the top spot.

After all, as spectacular as Kluber’s outing was, hasn’t his whole season been building to this moment? Hadn’t his stuff been rounding into form each and every week, secretly setting him up perfectly to devastate the Rangers on the mound where his season ended last year? I thought he had no-hit stuff last Friday against the Orioles before everything fell apart in one strange inning mid-game (Tyler Wade’s non-tag didn’t help, but no Wade slander until next week).

Plus, this is the second time the Rangers have been blanked in 2021. Kluber had a chance to no-hit any team in baseball with the stuff he brought to the table Wednesday, but he did blank the Rangers. There’s nothing wrong with being No. 2.

Kluber’s start was special for so many reasons, not the least of being the efficiency of the whole thing. Watching the game unfold, it would’ve been fair to be nervous about a post-surgery Kluber extending himself too far, leaving an uncomfortable decision in Aaron Boone’s memory banks.

Nope. Instead, he flat dominated, watching the Rangers make quicker, harder outs as the later innings unfolded, allowing him to save his bullets.

Job extremely well done, and his outing was only topped by a very weird one: a forgotten classic lost to history.