The league is notorious for being stupidly hitter-friendly, with bad pitching, high elevation, and small ballparks to blame (including a park at 7,000 feet that also has a 285-foot RF fence). As of right now, the Pecos League has a LEAGUE ERA of 7.88 (2019 was 6.54, 2018 was 7.10, and 2017 was 6.29, so higher than normal, but not too far off the norm).
As a result, 20 and even 30-run games are not uncommon (actual scores I've seen from five minutes on team schedules: 32-9 twice, 28-21, 25-22, 33-6, 36-6, 26-15...you get it), so the likelihood of a no-hitter is, uh, quite low.
Now, before we get much further, special recognition should be given to Kyle Atkinson of the Tucson Saguaros, who threw a 7-inning no-no on July 14, 2018...and homered for the only run of the game.
But enter Stanley Vargas. Vargas is a 23-year-old from a Division III school in New Hampshire who began his pro career this season with the Bakersfield Train Robbers. He started the season in the bullpen, but made his first start on June 28, and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 6.1 innings--not bad for Pecos League standards (oh, he also was 3-for-3 and finished a homer shy of the cycle).
In his second start on July 5, though, Vargas did the impossible. Facing the Santa Cruz Seaweed, Vargas went the distance: 9.0 innings, two walks, 15 strikeouts, 111 pitches...and no hits allowed. In just his second pro start, Vargas had done nothing that thousands of frustrated pitchers couldn't do. Former MLB closer Manny Corpas couldn't. Current MLB pitchers Jon Edwards, Eric Yardley, and Chris Mazza also failed. Another dozen-plus who pitched in MiLB after the Pecos League couldn't do it.
But Stanley Vargas threw a nine-inning no-hitter in the toughest hitter's league on the planet. And that deserves special recognition.
(Also, here's an article from the Bakersfield paper about some of the absurdity surrounding that game and the league as a whole)
For those of you who don't know, they are the lowest level of recognized Indy ball (from what I can tell on Baseball-Reference).
Players make peanuts, around $40-$60 per week. They've had two former players reach the show, those two being Jon Edwards and Chris Smith.
Have any of you considered playing in the Pecos League? It seems like at the very least, it's a fun 2-3 year experience you can try in your 20s to compete and truthfully say that you've played professional baseball.
