 Nicol made his major league debut for the Browns on September 23 , 1890 , starting the game against the Philadelphia Athletics that resulted in a 21 – 2 win . He did not allow a single hit to the Athletics through seven innings , after which the game was called off due to darkness . Although the game was previously considered a no @-@ hitter , a rule change made by the MLB 's Committee on Statistical Accuracy in 1991 redefined the definition of a no @-@ hitter ; a no @-@ hit game now had to span a minimum of nine innings . As a result , Nicol 's debut was one of fifty no @-@ hitters deleted from the official record books . 
