Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 37
February 27, 2019
Baró and Smith, who threw Negro Leagues no-hitters, were born on this date
Hilton Smith and Bernardo Baró, two Negro League pitchers who threw no-hitters, were both born on this date.
Baró, born on this date in 1896 in Cárdenas, Cuba, tossed a no-no for the Cuban Stars of Havana during the first game of a Sunday doubleheader on July 21, 1918. Baró held the Indianapolis ABCs hitless for an 11-0 win.
Smith, born on this date in 1907 in Giddings, Texas, threw the first Negro American League no-hitter as a member of the Kansas City Monarchs. During the first game of a Sunday doubleheader on May 16, 1937, Smith no-hit the Chicago American Giants for a 4-0 win.
February 22, 2019
Steve Barber, threw 8 2/3 innings of a no-hit loss, born 81 years ago today
Steve Barber, who threw 8⅔ innings of a 9-inning no-hit loss in 1967, was born 81 years ago today.
On Sunday, April 30, 1967, during the first game of doubleheader at Memorial Stadium, Barber held the Detroit Tigers hitless through eight innings despite struggling with his control. He entered the ninth with a 1-0 lead, but that’s when the wheels came off.
Two walks, a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error tied the game without a hit, and Orioles manager Hank Bauer yanked Barber from the game with two out after he issued his 10th walk. Stu Miller took over and he enticed what seemed like a ground out, but second baseman Mark Belanger dropped Luis Aparicio’s throw and the Tigers had a 2-1 lead, still without a hit.
The Orioles went down 1-2-3, and Barber/Miller duplicated a feat reached only by the Houston Colt .45’s Ken Johnson — a 9-inning, no-hit loss.
February 20, 2019
No-no birthday wishes to Verlander, Wright, Wilson, Davenport
Dave Davenport pitched the fifth (and final) no-hitter in the Federal League for the St. Louis Terriers.Happy birthday to four no-no pitchers: Justin Verlander, who threw two no-nos for the Detroit Tigers, Clyde Wright, who threw one for the California Angels, Jim Wilson, who tossed one for the Milwaukee Braves, and Dave Davenport, who threw one for the St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League.
Verlander, who turns 36 today, threw his on:
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Detroit Tigers 4, Milwaukee Brewers 0
Comerica Park (Detroit)Saturday, May 7, 2011
Detroit Tigers 9, Toronto Blue Jays 0
Rogers Centre (Toronto)
Wright, who turns 76, threw his on:
Friday, July 3, 1970
California Angels 4, Oakland Athletics 0
Anaheim Stadium (Anaheim)
Wilson, born 97 years ago on this day, threw his on:
Sunday, June 12, 1954
Milwaukee Braves 2, Philadelphia Phillies 0
Milwaukee County Stadium (Milwaukee)
Davenport, born 128 years ago on this day, threw his on:
Tuesday, September 7, 1915 (First game of doubleheader)
St. Louis Terriers 3, Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales 0
Handlan’s Park (St. Louis)
February 18, 2019
Happy 62nd birthday to Dave Stewart
Happy 62nd birthday to former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart, who threw a no-hitter in Toronto in 1990.
On Friday, June 29, 1990, Stewart no-hit the Blue Jays for a 5-0 victory at the SkyDome. Hours later and thousands of miles away, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals for a 6-0 win at Dodger Stadium.
The games marked only the second time that no-hitters were thrown on the same day. The other two were back in 1898:
Ted Breitenstein
Cincinnati Reds (NL)
Friday, April 22, 1898
Cincinnati Reds 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
League Park (Cincinnati)
Jim Jay Hughes
Baltimore Orioles (NL)
Friday, April 22, 1898
Baltimore Orioles 8, Boston Beaneaters 0
Union Park (Baltimore)
February 16, 2019
Happy 154th birthday to Colonels’ Sanders, who threw an 1892 no-hitter
Sending 154th birthday wishes out to Ben Sanders, who threw a no-hitter for the Louisville Colonels on Monday, August 22, 1892.
The Colonels that day beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-2 in a game played at Louisville’s Eclipse Park, though the legitimacy of his no-no is in doubt.
The local paper’s headline for this game reads “Only One Hit” based on George Van Haltren’s sharp grounder toward third in the fourth inning. The shot was just missed by third baseman Hughie Jennings. Shortstop Charley Bassett snagged the ball about 20 feet behind third base, but his desperate throw was about 3 feet wide, and Van Haltren was safe at first. “At the time of the play, there was no question about it being a hit,” noted the story in Louisville’s Courier-Journal. “However, when the game was over and that proved to be the only hit made, a few inflammable cranks set up the claim that Jennings and Bassett had made bad errors. They wanted to improve Sanders’ already splendid record, though it could only be done by robbing Van Haltren.
The Courier-Journal box score recorded it as a hit, but Sanders is in baseball’s record books as having thrown a no-hitter.
Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats, by Dirk Lammers, p. 61
Both ball clubs finished near the bottom of the National League standings in 1892, with the Colonels posting a 63-89 record and the Orioles faring much worse at 46-101.
February 12, 2019
Today would be no-no thrower Don Wilson’s 73rd birthday
Today would be the 73rd birthday of Don Wilson, who threw no-hitters for the Houston Astros in 1967 and 1969. The right-handed flamethrower, who pitched one game in 1966, was a mainstay of the Houston rotation from 1967 to 1974, winning 104 games.
He died of accidental asphyxiation in his home on Jan. 5, 1975 when he left his car running after pulling into his garage. His son, who was upstairs, also died.
The Astros retired Wilson’s No. 40 in 1975.
Here are Wilson’s two no-hitters:
Sunday, June 18, 1967
Houston Astros 2, Atlanta Braves 0
Astrodome (Houston)
Thursday, May 1, 1969
Houston Astros 4, Cincinnati Reds 0
Crosley Field (Cincinnati)
February 10, 2019
Allie Reynolds, tossed 2 Yankees no-nos, born 102 years ago today
Allie Reynolds, who tossed a pair of no-hitters for the New York Yankees in 1951, was born 102 years ago today.
The Bethany, Oklahoma, native threw both of his no-hitters in a 2½-month span during the 1951 season, in which he posted a 17-8 record. He improved on that for 1952, going 20-8 with an American League-leading 2.06 ERA. He retired with a 182–107 record and 3.30 ERA.
Here are Reynolds’ no-nos:
1
Allie Reynolds
New York Yankees (AL)
Thursday, July 12, 1951
New York Yankees 1, Cleveland Indians 0
Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland)
2
Allie Reynolds
New York Yankees (AL)
Friday, September 28, 1951 (First game of doubleheader)
New York Yankees 8, Boston Red Sox 0
Yankee Stadium (New York)
February 9, 2019
Satchel Paige voted in the Hall, 48 years ago today
Satchel Paige became the first Negro Leagues star voted into the Hall of Fame, 48 years ago today.
Paige was the first player to be selected by a 10-person committee honoring the contributions of the Negro Leagues to baseball’s history.
Paige may have thrown dozens of no-hitters in barnstorming, semipro and minor league games. But the Negro Leagues no-hitters list compiled by SABR and Noir Tech Research has two entries for Paige:
1
Satchel Paige
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Friday, July 8, 1932 (second game of doubleheader)
Pittsburgh Crawfords 6, New York Black Yankees 0
2
Satchel Paige
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Wednesday, July 4, 1934
Pittsburgh Crawfords 4, Homestead Grays 0
(Paige struck out 17 batters)
February 7, 2019
Happy 70th birthday, Burt Hooton
A happy 70th birthday to Burt Hooton, who threw a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs in just his fourth major-league start.
Hooton was just 22 when he tossed the April 16, 1972 no-no at Wrigley Field, leading the Cubs to a 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Hooton walked seven and struck out seven, and, according to the AP, a 16-mph wind blowing in helped keep the ball in the park for the Texas right-hander.
Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger saved the no-no in the third with a leaping catch of a Denny Doyle line drive, and outfielder Rick Monday snagged a Greg Luzinski line drive at the left-center field wall in the seventh to keep it intact.
February 5, 2019
Happy birthday Devern Hansack, threw 5-inning, rain-shortened no-no in ’06
Happy 41st birthday to Devern Hansack, who threw a five-inning rain-shortened no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox in 2006.
Major League Baseball’s committee for statistical accuracy had already determined that rain-shortened no-nos were not official no-hitters, but Hansack made the most of his October 1, 2006, against the Baltimore Orioles on the final day of the season. He no-hit the O’s for five innings while the Red Sox built a 9-0 lead. Umpires called the game at Fenway Park after the fifth due to rain.
You can find the full list of such “close but no cigar” outings on our No-hitters not officially recognized page.
Hansack’s no-no was one of his three career starts in the majors, as he appeared in just nine major league games between 2006-2008 while compiling a 2-2 record with a 3.70 ERA.
