Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 20

Happy 93rd birthday to Carl Eskine

Happy 93rd birthday to Carl Erskine, who threw two no-hitters for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Erskine threw his first against the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field on Thursday, June 19, 1952, for a 5-0 win. He followed it up four years later with a Saturday, May 12, 1956, no-no against the New York Giants for a 3-0 win at Ebbets Field.

Feller enlists 2 days after Pearl Harbor, 78 years ago today

Opening Day no-no thrower Bob Feller became the first player to enlist in the military after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, 78 years ago today.

Feller, who had just completed a 25-13 season — the third straight in which he led the league in victories — enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a chief boatswain’s mate just two days after the Pearl Harbor attack. He entered service three days later and reported to the Naval Training Center in Norfolk, Virginia.

In Feller’s first start back in the majors on Aug. 24, 1945, Feller threw a complete game four-hitter as the Cleveland Indians topped the Detroit Tigers 4-2. He went on to throw two more no-hitters, tying Larry Corcoran and Cy Young for a major league career record that held until 1965, when Sandy Koufax threw his fourth no-no.

Feller died of leukemia in 2010 at the age of 92.

Tigers reward Trucks’ 2 no-nos with trade

What do you get for throwing two no-hitters in a season? How about a trade?

Sixty-seven years ago today, the Detroit Tigers traded right-hander Virgil Trucks to the St. Louis Browns after he threw two no-hitters during the season.

On December 4, 1952, Detroit dealt Trucks, Johnny Groth and Hal White to the St. Louis Browns for Owen Friend, Bob Nieman and Jay Porter. During his 11th season with the Tigers, Trucks threw two no-hitters despite posting just a 5-19 record on the year. The no-hitters were:

The no-hitters were:

1
Virgil Trucks



Detroit Tigers (AL)



Thursday, May 15, 1952
Detroit Tigers 1, Washington Senators 0
Briggs Stadium (Detroit)


2
Virgil Trucks



Detroit Tigers (AL)



Monday, August 25, 1952
Detroit Tigers 1, New York Yankees 0
Yankee Stadium (New York)

The only other major-league pitchers to toss two no-hitters in a season are Johnny Vander Meer (who tossed back-to-back no-nos), Allie Reynolds, Nolan Ryan and Max Scherzer. And none of those pitchers were sent packing after their accomplishments.

Trucks, who was dealt in the middle of the 1953 season to the White Sox, spent 2 1/2 seasons in Chicago before he was traded back to the Tigers for the 1956 season. His second Detroit incarnation was short-lived, as Trucks was sent with Wayne Belardi, Ned Garver, Gene Host and cash to the Kansas City Athletics for Jack Crimian, Jim Finigan, Bill Harrington and Eddie Robinson after the season’s end.

The Birmingham, Alabama native retired in 1958 after 17 seasons, posting a 177-135 record with a 3.39 ERA.

Pitchers mound lowered by 5 inches, 51 years ago today

Major League Baseball lowered the pitchers mound height from 15 inches to 10 inches, 51 years ago today.

The rule change was part of a response to the issue of pitching becoming too dominant in the NL and AL, as evidenced by five no-hitters thrown during the 1968 season:

1
Tom Phoebus



Baltimore Orioles (AL)



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


2
Jim “Catfish” Hunter



Oakland Athletics (AL)



Wednesday, May 8, 1968
Oakland Athletics 4, Minnesota Twins 0
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland)
(Perfect game)


3
George Culver



Cincinnati Reds (NL)



Monday, July 29, 1968 (Second game of doubleheader)
Cincinnati Reds 6, Philadelphia Phillies 1
Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia)


4
Gaylord Perry



San Francisco Giants (NL)



Tuesday, September 17, 1968
San Francisco Giants 1, St. Louis Cardinals 0
Candlestick Park (San Francisco)


5
Ray Washburn



St. Louis Cardinals (NL)



Wednesday, September 18, 1968
St. Louis Cardinals 2, San Francisco Giants 0
Candlestick Park (San Francisco)

Other rule changes required the slope of the mound to be uniform and gradual and reduced the size of the strike zone to the armpits to the top of the knees.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale criticized the changes.

“If they think this is going to make .300 hitters, they’re mistaken,” Drysdale told the Associated Press. “Last year could have been just a one-year thing. I think they should have waited a year to see how it goes before panicking like this.”

So how did the moves work? Well, 1969 did see an uptick in runs scored, but no-hitters actually increased by one and three pitchers notched their second career no-nos!

1
Bill Stoneman


 
Montreal Expos (NL)


 
Thursday, April 17, 1969
Montreal Expos 7, Philadelphia Phillies 0
Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia)
(His first of two no-hitters)


2
Jim Maloney


 
Cincinnati Reds (NL)


 
Wednesday, April 30, 1969
Cincinnati Reds 10, Houston Astros 0
Crosley Field (Cincinnati)
(His second of two no-hitters)


3
Don Wilson


 
Houston Astros (NL)


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


4
Jim Palmer


 
Baltimore Orioles (AL)


 
Wednesday, August 13, 1969
Baltimore Orioles 8, Oakland Athletics 0
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)


5
Ken Holtzman


 
Chicago Cubs (NL)


 
Tuesday, August 19, 1969
Chicago Cubs 3, Atlanta Braves 0
Wrigley Field (Chicago)
(His first of two no-hitters; Holtzman becomes the second MLB pitcher to throw a no hitter without a single strikeout.)


6
Bob Moose


 
Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)


 
Saturday, September 20, 1969
Pittsburgh Pirates 4, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium (New York)

Things didn’t work out for Drysdale, either. After an All-Star season in ’68, Drysdale battled through arm soreness until finally hanging up the cleats in August of ’69.

It’s interesting to note that both the year before the rule changes, ’68, and the year after, ’69, are the only seasons in MLB history to see teams exchange no-hitters on consecutive days, Perry/Washburn in ’68 and Maloney/Wilson in ’69.

Siwoff supported 9-inning threshold for no-nos

Renowned sports statistician Seymour Siwoff, who died Friday at the age of 99, played a part in the 1991 decision that required official no-hitters to last nine innings.

“What I enjoy most about statistics is the chance they give you to relive the past,” Mr. Siwoff said. https://t.co/6SPihf5nAt

— NYT Sports (@NYTSports) November 30, 2019

The longtime president of the Elias Sports Bureau served on the Committee for Statistical Accuracy, a group chaired by then MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent that established the first official definition of a no-hitter. That definition declared it a game of nine innings or more that ends with no hits, and the committee’s ruling booted some 50 games in the categories of rain- and darkness-shortened no-nos, no-nos lost in extras and the super-rare 8½-inning road loss no-hitters from the official ranks. (NoNoHitters.com lists those here.)

Siwoff agreed with Vincent that no-hitters should complete the ninth, saying that anything not reaching that threshold cheapens the accomplishment. Siwoff and Vincent were opposed by New York Times columnist Murray Chass, who felt that any complete game that doesn’t allow a hit should be considered a no-hitter.

Siwoff, speaking after the New York Yankees’ Andy Hawkins pitched an 8½-inning road no-hitter that the Chicago White Sox won by a score of 4-0, noted that his company’s The Elias Book of Baseball Records still mentions unofficial no-hit accomplishments in a section titled “No-Hit Games: Regular Season, Fewer Than Nine Innings.”

“Hawkins is in the record book,” Siwoff said. “Years from now, he can tell people, ‘I’m in the record book. I’m in the no-hit section.’”

Happy 92nd, Vin Scully!

Happy 92th birthday to the legendary Vin Scully, who called far more no-hitters than any other baseball broadcaster.

Scully has sat behind the microphone for an unprecedented 20 no-hitters and three perfect games over his 65-year career. The longtime Dodgers play caller, who was born in the Bronx, retired in 2016.

Happy birthday, Dave Righetti

Happy 61st birthday to Dave Righetti, who in 1983 became the first New York Yankees pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Don Larsen tossed a perfecto in the ’56 World Series.

On Monday, July 4, 1983, in front of more than 41,000 fans at Yankee Stadium, Righetti no-hit the Boston Red Sox for a 4-0 win. Righetti struck out nine and walked four in the game, catching the pesky Wade Boggs lunging for a breaking ball to complete the no-no.

Since 2000, Righetti served as pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants from 2009-2017 before moving into a front-office role.

“Bullet” Joe Bush, threw 1916 no-no, born 127 years ago today

“Bullet” Joe Bush, who threw a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1916, was born 127 years ago today.

On Saturday, August 26, 1916, at Shibe Park, Bush held the Cleveland Indians hitless en route to a 5-0 win. Bush allowed his only base runner in the first inning by issuing a walk to Jack Graney. Bush struck out seven Cleveland batters to complete the no-no, which was witnessed by some 10,000 fans.

Happy 36th birthday Matt Garza, threw Rays’ only no-no

Happy 36th birthday to Matt Garza, who threw the only no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history.

On Monday, July 26, 2010, at Tropicana Field, Garza no-hit the Detroit Tigers for a 5-0 win. The Tigers’ Max Scherzer was also working on a no-hitter that night but lost it on a Matt Joyce grand slam in the sixth.

Garza’s no-hitter came just three months after another team exited the no no-no club — the Colorado Rockies. On April 17 of that year, Ubaldo Jiménez tossed a no-hitter at Turner Field for a 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.

With the Rockies and Rays getting their first no-nos, that left the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres as the only major league franchises without one.

Santana kicked the Mets out of the club in June 2012, and the Padres continue to await theirs.

Greinke falls two outs shy of no-no

The Houston Astros’ Zack Greinke nearly no-hit the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, falling just two outs shy of allowing the Astros to become the first team in major-league history to toss three no-nos in a season.

Greinke was looking to follow Justin Verlander (Sept. 1) and the tandem of Aaron Sanchez (6), Will Harris (1), Joe Biagini (1) and Chris Devenski (1) (August 3), but Austin Nola lined a one-out single to left-center in the ninth.

The Milwaukee Braves (Lew Burdette, Warren Spahn and Warren Spahn) are the only team to throw three straight no-nos, but those were over two seasons, 1960 and 1961.