What are the most recent no-hitters in Chicago Cubs history?

A trio of Chicago Cubs pitchers, headlined by Shota Imanaga, combined to no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates on a beautiful September night at Wrigley Field - marking the first Cubs' no-hitter at the Friendly Confines in more than 50 years. While it didn't carry quite the same magic as if Imanaga had finished the job himself, it was still an incredible night for Cubs fans.

Before we dig in, a little high-level Cubs no-hitter history. There have been 18 no-nos in the team's 148 years, which started back in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings. A 36-year drought spanned from Milt Pappas' no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in 1972 until Carlos Zambrano made history in 2008 - and that's where we'll begin.

Carlos Zambrano did something in his no-hitter no other pitcher has

On Sept. 14, 2008, the Houston Astros played host to the Chicago Cubs ... at Miller Park in Milwaukee. The contest had been pushed out of Texas by Hurricane Ike, setting the stage for Zambrano's historic effort on the mound.

After battling shoulder tendinitis in the weeks leading up to that start, the right-hander looked as healthy as ever in front of what amounted to a home crowd in Milwaukee, despite the Astros being the home team on the scoreboard. Zambrano actually credited his injury with his performance that day talking to the press afterwards.

“I think the rest helped me out,” Zambrano said. “All my pitches were working. I saw in the 1st inning I was throwing 99 mph so I said, ‘Let’s go.’ I want to thank God and hopefully, the next step will be the World Series for us.”

As we all know, the Cubs wouldn't make the World Series that season, with their brief postseason run ending abruptly in the first round at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But that season gave us all plenty of memories, perhaps none more iconic than Zambrano taking a knee and pointing to the sky with both arms outstretched after finishing off his no-hitter with a 1-2-3 ninth.

This was just the cherry on top of a historic run for Cubs' Jake Arrieta

Second-half 2015 Jake Arrieta was the stuff of legends, with analysts around the game constantly comparing him to Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. In 15 second-half starts, Arrieta allowed just nine earned runs in 107 1/3 innings of work, good for a 0.75 ERA - the best second-half ERA ever in MLB history.

On Aug. 30, 2015, Arrieta took his dominance on the road to the City of Angels, shutting down a powerful Dodgers lineup that ranked second in team OPS that season. Los Angeles managed only two baserunners, as the bearded right-hander carved them up, striking out a dozen as the Cubs rolled to a 2-0 win.

I could spend the rest of the day just writing about Arrieta's second half. Every fifth day, you just knew the Cubs would win with him on the mound. It didn't matter who the opponent was, or what the game conditions were: he was locked in in a way I had never seen before and haven't seen since. He made throwing a no-hitter against the Dodgers look like a light bullpen session.

And, of course, who could forget the best part? That no-no gave us the mustache onesie picture as part of manager Joe Maddon's infamous themed road trips.

Sorry, there's another Jake Arrieta no-hitter we still need to talk about

Arrieta may not have been the pitcher he was to close out 2015 for the duration of the team's 2016 World Series championship campaign, but early on, he was pretty damned good. A 1.00 ERA and a perfect 5-0 record in April set the tone - but the highlight from yet another dominant month from the righty came in Cincinnati on April 21.

Not only did Arrieta throw his second no-hitter in his last 11 starts, but the Cubs absolutely decimated Reds pitching, throwing 16 runs up on the board en route to a 16-0 victory. In the no-no, Chicago set a Modern Era MLB record for most runs in a game by the winning team in a no-hitter. But let's get back to what he did on the mound.

He needed 119 pitches to get the job done and he walked four, but Arrieta delivered once again. The defense was more active in this one than his no-hitter against the Dodgers, evidenced by 'just' six strikeouts this time around. With his second no-no under his belt, Arrieta made Cubs history, joining the likes of Ken Holtzman and Larry Corcoran with two no-hitters (no Cubs pitcher has three).

This was an unofficial end to Arrieta's historic run. That's not to say he wasn't still an incredibly effective pitcher for the Cubs, because he most certainly was, especially in that '16 season, but he came back to earth a bit shortly after this start. But in my lifetime, I've never seen a guy in a groove like this on the mound and let me tell you, it was something to behold.

Alec Mills throws the next Cubs no-hitter in an empty Miller Park

There's something about the Cubs, Miller Park and no-hitters. The site of Zambrano's historic outing in 2008 also played host to the next no-no on our list, which came courtesy of Alec Mills during the shortened, fan-less 2020 season.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, that campaign was played in a host of empty ballparks, some adorned with stuffed animals in the seats, others with cardboard cutouts. But on Sept. 13 that summer, Mills, a former 22nd-round pick who has made just two big league starts since the end of the 2021 campaign made history.

Mills' no-no marked the fourth consecutive Cubs no-hitter to be thrown on the road, dating back to Pappas' gem in '72. To call this afternoon against the Brewers the highlight of the right-hander's career certainly isn't a stretch - especially when you consider his road to the big leagues.

The only two no-hitters at Miller Park? Thrown by Cubs pitchers. This one, a 12-0 blanking of the Brew Crew, is a moment that, due to the circumstances of that season, often goes overlooked and forgotten. But the last no-hitter on our list seems to have slipped the mind of almost every Cubs fan...

Shota Imanaga sets the tone in a combined no-no at Wrigley Field

Shota Imanaga had it all working on Sept. 4, 2024 - well, almost everything. Third baseman Isaac Paredes turned in a horrendous defensive effort at third, making three errors, and driving up Imanaga's pitch count, which eventually led to Craig Counsell pulling him after seven no-hit innings.

From there, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge slammed the door, completing the no-hit bid - the second such effort in franchise history and the 18th no-hitter. It marked the first time the Cubs accomplished the feat at Wrigley Field since Milt Pappas made history back in 1972. It's somewhat shocking to look back and realize that every Cubs no-no on this list apart from this one came on the road.

For Imanaga, it was just the cherry on top of a dazzling rookie season. Despite the team's inconsistent, up-and-down play, the Japanese-born left-hander epitomized consistency, delivering quality start after quality start and giving the team a chance to win every five days.