Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 16

Bo no-nos O’s, 58 years ago today

Los Angeles Angels rookie Bo Belinsky threw one of the majors’ three Cinco de Mayo no-hitters, 58 years ago today.

On May 5, 1962, Belinsky no-hit the Baltimore Orioles for a 2-0 win that launched the former Trenton pool shark into Hollywood stardom. You can read more about Belinsky in “Chapter 29: Hollywood Hustle” of my book, Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats.

On this date in 1917, the St. Louis Browns’ Ernie Koob no-hit the Chicago White Sox for a 1-0 victory at home at Sportsman’s Park. Browns teammate Bob Groom also no-hit the White Sox the next day, though Groom’s gem came in the second game of a Sunday doubleheader so the two weren’t consecutive.

On Thursday, May 5, 1904, Cy Young, pitching for the Boston Americans (Red Sox) retired all 27 Philadelphia Athletics he faced for a 3-0 perfecto at the Huntington Avenue Grounds. It was his second of career no-hitters that would tie him for the career lead with Larry Corcoran.

MLB’s only double no-no, 103 years ago today

Today is the 103rd anniversary of baseball’s only double nine-inning no-hitter.

The Chicago Cubs’ Hippo Vaughn and the Cincinnati Reds’ Fred Toney each held their opponents hitless through nine innings of baseball at Weeghman Park on Wednesday, May 2, 1917. The game went to the 10th, and the Reds scored on a single, an error and a error on a swinging bunt. Toney got the no-no and the 1-0 victory, but Vaughn had to settle for a stellar performance that’s not recognized as an official no-hitter.

Also on this date in 2012, the Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver no-hit the Minnesota Twins for a 9-0 win at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Ryan throws 7th no-hitter, 29 years ago today

Nolan Ryan threw his major league record seventh no-hitter, 29 years ago today.

Ryan, pitching for the Texas Rangers at the age of 44 on May 1, 1991, struck out 16 Blue Jays and held the others to no hits as the Rangers topped Toronto 3-0. Said Rangers pitching coach Tom House to the Dallas Morning News, the Blue Jays, “just got in the way of a train.”

Three other no-hitters were thrown on May 1 in other years, by Al Atkinson, Johnny Lush and Don Wilson.

Here are the May Day no-nos:

21 of 303
Al Atkinson



Philadelphia Athletics (AA)



Saturday, May 1, 1886
Philadelphia Athletics 3, New York Metropolitans 2
Jefferson Street Grounds (Philadelphia)
(His second of two no-hitters)


53 of 303
Johnny Lush



Philadelphia Phillies (NL)



Tuesday, May 1, 1906
Philadelphia Phillies 6, Brooklyn Superbas 0
Washington Park (Brooklyn)


170 of 303
Don Wilson



Houston Astros (NL)



Thursday, May 1, 1969
Houston Astros 4, Cincinnati Reds 0
Crosley Field (Cincinnati)
(His second of two no-hitters)


225 of 303
Nolan Ryan



Texas Rangers (AL)



Wednesday, May 1, 1991
Texas Rangers 3, Toronto Blue Jays 0
Arlington Stadium (Texas)
(His seventh of seven no-hitters, finalizing his major league record.)

Ferrell goes yard in no-no, 89 years ago today

Cleveland Indians pitcher Wes Ferrell threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns and helped his cause with a homer, 89 years ago today.

On Wednesday, April 29, 1931 at Cleveland’s League Park, Ferrell no-hit the Browns for a 9-0 victory. Ferrell struck out eight while walking three and also contributed at the plate with a 2-for-4 day including a home run, a double and 4 RBIs.

Only three other pitchers have hit a homer while pitching a no-hitter (Rick Wise actually hit two). Here are those games:

1
Jim Tobin



Boston Braves (NL)



Thursday, April 27, 1944
Boston Braves 2, Brooklyn Dodgers 0
Braves Field (Boston)
(Tobin went 1-for-3 with an 8th-inning leadoff homer off Fritz Ostermueller, 1 RBI)


2
Earl Wilson



Boston Red Sox (AL)



Tuesday, June 26, 1962
Boston Red Sox 2, Los Angeles Angels 0
Fenway Park (Boston)
(Wilson went 1-for-3 with a one-out homer off Bo Belinsky in the 3rd inning, 1 RBI)


3
Rick Wise



Philadelphia Phillies (NL)



Wednesday, June 23, 1971
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Cincinnati Reds 0
Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati)
(Wise went 2-for-3 with a 5th-inning, two-run homer off Ross Grimsley and an 8th innings solo shot off Clay Carroll, 3 RBIs)

Pandemic takes away no-no chance on typically fruitful day

The COVID-19 shutdown has left major-league baseball with no chance for a no-hitter today on a date that has yielded six no-nos since 1944.

April 27 shares record for most no-nos with May 15, September 20 and September 28.

Here are the six April 27 no-hitters:

1
Jim Tobin



Boston Braves (NL)



Thursday, April 27, 1944
Boston Braves 2, Brooklyn Dodgers 0
Braves Field (Boston)


2
Tom Phoebus



Baltimore Orioles (AL)



Saturday, April 27, 1968
Baltimore Orioles 6, Boston Red Sox 0
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)


3
Steve Busby



Kansas City Royals (AL)



Friday, April 27, 1973
Kansas City Royals 3, Detroit Tigers 0
Tiger Stadium (Detroit)
(His first of two no-hitters)


4
Scott Erickson



Minnesota Twins (AL)



Wednesday, April 27, 1994
Minnesota Twins 6, Milwaukee Brewers 0
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minneapolis)


5
Derek Lowe



Boston Red Sox (AL)



Saturday, April 27, 2002
Boston Red Sox 10, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 0
Fenway Park (Boston)


6
Kevin Millwood



Philadelphia Phillies (NL)



Sunday, April 27, 2003
Philadelphia Phillies 1, San Francisco Giants 0
Veterans Stadium (Philadelphia)

103rd anniversary of Yankees’ first no-no

Today is the 103rd anniversary of the New York Yankees’ first no-hitter.

On April 24, 1917, George Mogridge walked three, struck out three and overcame three Yankees errors while holding the Boston Red Sox hitless for a 2-1 win in front of 3,219 fans at Fenway Park.

The Yankees had accomplished nine one-hitters during the team’s first 14 years in New York but no pitcher could complete a game with a 0 in the H column until Mogridge. The one-hitter pitchers were Bill Wolff, Jack Chesbro, Billy Hogg, Al Orth, Joe Doyle, Joe Lake, Louis Brockett, Jack Warhop and Russell Ford.

Also throwing a no-hitter on this date is the Frank Allen. On Saturday, April 24, 1915, pitching for the Federal League’s Pittsburgh Rebels, Allen no-hit the St. Louis Terriers for a 2-0 win at St. Louis’ Handland’s Park. It was the second of five no-hitters in the Federal League, a major circuit that folded after the 1915 season.

Amole tosses AL Opening Day no-no 120 years ago today

The Buffalo Bisons’ “Doc” Amole threw an Opening Day no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in the inaugural game of the newly rebranded American League 120 years ago today, but the new circuit wasn’t yet considered part of the major leagues.

The American League in 1900 was a renamed version of the Western League, a minor circuit that formed in the Midwest in 1885. On April 19, 1900, at Detroit’s Bennett Park, Amole held the Detroit Tigers hitless while leading the Bisons to an 8-0 victory in the league’s first game of the season. Amole struck out six, walked two and hit two batsmen.

News of the no-hitter “warmed the cockles of the hearts of every true Buffalonian,” according to the Buffalo Enquirer.

“One could hardly squeeze through the bunches of humanity as score after score came in with an ‘0’ down to the Detroits, their pleasure knew no restraint,” the paper noted. “It was nothing, however, to the shout that went up when the same figure was put down in the “hit column” of the Michiganders after the game had closed.”

After the 1900 season, the American League rebranded itself as a major league and replaced the Bisons with the Boston Americans (Red Sox). The Bisons returned to the minor Eastern League for the 1901 season and have remained a minor-league team ever since.

Prior to joining Buffalo, Morris George “Doc” Amole pitched in 18 major-league games with the National League’s Baltimore Orioles (’97) and Washington Senators (’98), posting a 4-10 record with a 4.75 ERA.

80th anniversary of Feller’s Opening Day no-no

Today is the 80th anniversary of Bob Feller’s Opening Day no-hitter.

The 21-year-old Feller used his “heater from Van Meter” fastball on April 16, 1940 to mow down eight White Sox batters as the Cleveland Indians topped Chicago 1-0. Feller’s parents and sister, Marguerite, were among the 14,000 fans at Chicago’s Comiskey Park that afternoon.

“I knew I had a chance for a no-hitter in the ninth,” Feller told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “but I tried to put the thought out of my mind by reminding myself you never have a no-hitter until the last man is out.”

Feller threw two additional no-hitters, tying Larry Corcoran and Cy Young (Justin Verlander later joined the three-peat club) for a major league record that would be broken by Sandy Koufax (4) and Nolan Ryan (7).

ChiSox’s Cicotte tosses no-hitter, 103 years ago today

Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns, 103 years ago today.

Cicotte, one of eight players permanently banned from major league baseball in 1920 for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series, no-hit the Browns at Sportsman’s Park on Saturday, April 14, 1917 for an 11-0 victory. Cicotte struck out five and walked three, and another Browns runner reached base on an error by Sox first baseman Chick Gandal.

Cicotte and seven teammates, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, were banned for life due to their involvement in what became known as the Black Sox Scandal. Cicotte’s catcher for the no-no, Ray Schalk, was not involved in the ’19 Series scheme and continued playing until 1929, catching two additional official no-nos (Joe Benz’s 1914 no-hitter against the Cleveland Naps and Charlie Robertson’s 1922 perfect game against the Detroit Tigers).

Angels’ Langston, Witt combine for no-no, 30 years ago today

The California Angels’ Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined to no-hit the Seattle Mariners, 30 years ago today.

On Wednesday, April 11, 1990 at Anaheim Stadium, Langston threw seven innings of no-hit ball but took himself out of the game as his arm speed just wasn’t there. Manager Doug Rader brought in Witt, who was no stranger to no-hitters. Witt had pitched a perfect game for the Angels on the final game of the 1984 season, topping the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium for a 1-0 win.

Witt needed to retire just six batters in this contest, and his two perfect innings closed out the combined no-hitter and secured a 1-0 victory for the Angels.