During his first season in the majors, Breitenstein pitched occasionally in relief, but on the final day of the 1891 season, October 4, Breitenstein was allowed to start and he pitched a no-hitter against the Louisville Colonels, an 8–0 victory. He faced the minimum number of batters of 27, allowed just one base on balls, which was erased by a double play or by a pickoff play. It was also the last no-hitter thrown in the American Association, as the league folded after the season.\n', '

Breitenstein became part of the pitching rotation in 1892, but had a lackluster season with a 9–19 win–loss record and a 4.69 earned run average. He turned his pitching around after that, and in 1893, his 3.18 ERA was tops in the National League. In 1894, he won 27 games while leading the league in games started, complete games and innings pitched, although he led the league in runs allowed, and had a 4.79 ERA. In the following season, his workload stayed the same, leading the league in games started and complete games once again, but his stats took a slide downward, leading the league in runs allowed, base on balls, and losses. His 30 losses in 1895 ranks third on the all-time list for losses in a season by a pitcher.\n', '

After a similar season in 1896, Breitenstein was sold to the Cincinnati Reds. The move gave him a new start and he took advantage of it, winning more than 20 games in each of his first two season with the Reds. He lowered his ERA to 3.62 in 1897 and 3.42 in 1898 respectively. On April 22, 1898, he pitched his second no-hitter, this time against the Pittsburgh Pirates, an 11–0 victory. What made this no-hitter notable is the fact that another no-hitter was pitched on the same day. Jay Hughes of the Baltimore Orioles threw one against the Boston Beaneaters. This was the first occurrence of two no-hitters being thrown on the same day in the major leagues.\n', '

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