When the media dubbed 2010 “The Year of the Pitcher,” they weren’t kidding. Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza continued the spectacular season for hurlers on Monday night by throwing the fifth no-hitter of the year. Garza joined Ubaldo Jimenez and Edwin Jackson in mere no hitters, as well as Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay who have both been perfect this season. Throw in Armando Galarraga’s 28-out not-quite-perfect game and you have one heck of a season, and it’s still July.

Garza blanked Detroit 5-0 in St. Petersburg, using 120 pitches to throw the first no-hitter in franchise history. Only a second inning walk to Brennan Boesch ruined perfection, but Garza was as close to it as he could get, as Boesch was erased on a double play. While Garza technically faced the minimum 27 hitters in the game, the box scores will always show that the Tigers had 26 at bats in being no-hit by the Rays.

Interestingly, Detroit’s starter Max Scherzer was also no-hitting the Rays until two outs in the sixth inning when he loaded the bases and gave up a grand slam to Matt Joyce. From that moment on, all focus was turned to Garza in his bid for history, and he did not disappoint. Now, the only teams left in the major leagues with a no-hitter to their credit are the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres; both of whom have been in existence much longer than Tampa Bay.

There have not been so many no-hitters as there has been since 1991 when pitchers combined to throw seven of them. The pitchers are on pace to match that total this season (or break it, depending on how you view the Galarraga debacle), which is an incredible thing, especially considering the “Steroid Era” is supposedly over and baseball is getting back to being baseball. The Year of the Pitcher is going strong, and the best of these arms may have yet to be seen.