Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 12
July 26, 2020
Jesse ‘Nip’ Winters tosses first of his two no-nos, 98 years ago today
Jesse “Nip” Winters threw the first of his two Negro Leagues no-hitters, 98 years ago today.
On Wednesday, July 26, 1922, while pitching for the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Winters no-hit the Indianapolis ABCs for a 7-1 win.
Winters threw his second no-no for Hilldale (a 2-0 win over the Harrisburg Giants), and it was the first no-hitter in the Eastern Colored League.
Winters spent the final 30 years of his life until his death in 1971 in Hockessin, Delaware. The town honored him with a historical marker in 2015, according to the Hockessin Community News.
July 25, 2020
Garza helps Rays exit the no no-no club, 10 years ago today
Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history, 10 years ago today.
The Rays were facing the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field on Monday, July 26, 2010, and the game was actually a double no-hitter into the sixth inning.
The Tigers’ Max Scherzer took the mound, no-no intact, but loaded the bases on two walks and a catcher’s interference call, giving designated hitter Matt Joyce a shot at breaking the 0-0 deadlock. The Tampa native jumped on a 3-2 pitch and slammed the fastball over the right-field fence in grand fashion for the game’s first hit.
“Joyce hit it out, and everybody’s ecstatic,” Garza told me in a 2015 interview. “At that point I knew he had a no-hitter going, and I was like ‘Oh, OK. Whew. We got some runs. Let’s go.’”
But Garza hadn’t yet realized he also had a no-hitter going. The Tigers’ lone base runner reached on a second-inning walk.
Reenergized by his newfound 4-0 lead, Garza retired the next 12 batters and teammates rushed to the mound to celebrate the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history.
“It was awesome, not only for the franchise but for myself,” he said. “It was my first one ever. Words really can’t explain the emotion.”
July 23, 2020
A rare summer version of Fellerwatch
Tonight we begin our annual tradition of waiting to see the second Opening Day hitter in Major League Baseball history.
The Cleveland Indians’ Bob Feller threw an Opening Day no-no on April 16, 1940, using his “heater from Van Meter” fastball to mow down eight White Sox batters as Cleveland topped Chicago 1-0. Feller’s parents and sister, Marguerite, were among the 14,000 fans at Chicago’s Comiskey Park that afternoon.
Nobody has done it since, and four starting pitchers tonight and 26 tomorrow make their bids to duplicate history. Of course in this era of conservative pitch counts, we could eventually see the first combined Opening Day no-hitter. And if it happens this year, it will by far be the latest Opening Day no-hitter by date in history. Here’s the lineup:
Tonight
New York Yankees – Gerrit ColeWashington Nationals – Max ScherzerSan Francisco Giants – Johnny CuetoLos Angeles Dodgers – Dustin May
Friday
Arizona Diamondbacks – Madison BumgarnerAtlanta Braves – Mike SorokaBaltimore Orioles – Tommy MiloneBoston Red Sox – Nathan EovaldiChicago Cubs – Kyle HendricksChicago White Sox – Lucas GiolitoCincinnati Reds – Sonny GrayCleveland Indians – Shane BieberColorado Rockies – Germán MárquezDetroit Tigers – Matthew BoydHouston Astros – Justin VerlanderKansas City Royals – Danny DuffyLos Angeles Angels – Andrew HeaneyMiami Marlins – Sandy AlcantaraMilwaukee Brewers – Brandon WoodruffMinnesota Twins – José BerríosNew York Mets – Jacob deGromOakland Athletics – Frankie MontasPhiladelphia Phillies – Aaron NolaPittsburgh Pirates – Joe MusgroveSan Diego Padres – Chris PaddackSeattle Mariners – Marco GonzalesSt. Louis Cardinals – Jack FlahertyTampa Bay Rays – Charlie MortonTexas Rangers – Lance LynnToronto Blue Jays – Hyun Jin Ryu
Buehrle’s perfecto, 11 years ago today
Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle tossed a July 23 perfect game 11 years ago today, but it was not an Opening Day no-hitter.
On Thursday, July 23, 2009 at U.S. Cellular Field, Buehrle retired all 27 Tampa Bay Rays he faced for a 5-0 win of perfection.
Today is Opening Day of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, and any no-no tossed by the Yankees, Nationals, Dodgers or Giants would equal Bob Feller’s feat of 1940. The rest of its league gets its shot on Friday.
Buehrle’s 2009 perfecto was his second no-hitter. His first was on April 18, 2007, a game in which he no-hit the Texas Rangers and also faced the minimum 27 batters. (Buehrle had picked off Sammy Sosa from first after the designated hitter drew a fifth inning walk.)
July 22, 2020
A’s hurler Henley no-hits Browns, 115 years ago today
Weldon Henley threw a Philadelphia Athletics no-hitter, 115 years ago today.
On July 22, 1905, during the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, Henley no-hit the St. Louis Browns for a 6-0 win at St. Louis’ Robison Field.
The St. Louis Republic‘s story from the next morning called Henley a “magnificent specimen of the Southern lad,” saying he took rank with Christy Mathewson and Cy Young and “lifted himself from a mediocre place into the loftiest niche in American pitcherdom.”
He didn’t quite reach the marks set by those two, finishing with a 32-43 record but a respectable 2.94 ERA.
July 14, 2020
Dodgers’ Martínez no-hits Marlins, 25 years ago today
Ramón Martínez threw a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, 25 years ago.
Martínez no-hit the Florida Marlins on July 14, 1995 for a 7-0 victory at Dodger Stadium. The 6-foot-4 right-handed fastballer struck out eight and walked just one, and he didn’t throw a single breaking ball after the third inning.
Ramón’s brother Pedro never got an official no-hitter, but Pedro did pitch nine perfect innings against the San Diego Padres a month earlier before losing his no-no in extra innings.
Rays lose combined perfecto in 9th, a year ago today
Major-league baseball was robbed of its first combined perfect game, one year ago today.
On Sunday, July 14, 2019, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Ryne Stanek did a stellar job as the opener by retiring the first six batters. Ryan Yarbrough took over in relief and kept an additional 18 Orioles at bay to reach the ninth inning with the combined perfecto in tact.
With just three outs to go, Yarbrough took the mound for the ninth but gave up a leadoff single to Hanser Alberto to end the bid. The Rays won by a score of 4-1
July 13, 2020
It has now been 29 years since the A’s were no-hit
The Oakland Athletics have reached the 29th anniversary since they were last no-hit.
On Saturday, July 13, 1991, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, the Baltimore Orioles’ Bob Milacki (6 inn.), Mike Flanagan (1 inn.), Mark Williamson (1 inn.) and Gregg Olson (1 inn.) teamed up to no-hit the A’s for a 2-0 win. Oakland has avoided a no-no ever since, marking the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
The mark pales when compared to the Chicago Cubs’ now-defunct streak, which nearly reached 50 years when the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels zapped them at Wrigley Field on Saturday, July 25, 2015.
July 12, 2020
Angels toss combined no-no on night honoring Skaggs, 1 year ago today
The Los Angels Angels made a night honoring late pitcher Tyler Skaggs even more special by tossing a combined no-hitter, one year ago today.
With all of Skaggs’ Angels teammates wearing his No. 45 jerseys, Taylor Cole no-hit the Seattle Mariners for two innings and Felix Peña followed with seven as the Angles threw the franchise’s 11th no-no for a 13-0 victory.
The only Mariners batter to reach base was Omar Narvaez, who walked in the fifth.
The effort marked the first Angels no-hitter since May 2, 2012, when Jered Weaver no-hit the Minnesota Twins for a 9-0 win at Angel Stadium. The last no-hitter against the Mariners was on April 21, 2012, when the Chicago White Sox’s Philip Humber threw a perfect game for a 4-0 win at Safeco Field.
July 9, 2020
Expos no-hit for first time, 44 years ago today
The Montreal Expos fell victim to a no-hitter for the first time in franchise history, 44 years ago today.
On Friday, July 9, 1976, the Houston Astros’ Larry Dierker walked four and struck out eight at the Astrodome to lead Houston to a 6-0 no-hit victory. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound righthander from Hollywood, California, told the Associated Press’ B.F. Kellum that he figured if he was going to pitch a no-no, it would have come early in his career.
“I didn’t think I had the stuff to pitch a no-hitter,” Dierker told the AP. “It’s hard to believe.”
Dierker nearly threw a perfect game in 1966. In a Sept. 30 game against the New York Mets that remained scoreless until the bottom of the ninth, Dierker took the mound and immediately gave up double to Mets’ third baseman Eddie Bressoud. That set the wheels in motion, as Dierker threw a wild pitch to Ron Hunt (pinch-hitting for left fielder Danny Napoleon) allowing Bressoud to reach third and then served up a pitch that resulted in a Hunt walk-off single to right.
