Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 43
July 20, 2018
Tigers’ Bunning no-hits Red Sox, 60 years ago today
Today is the 60th anniversary of Jim Bunning’s first no-hitter.
On July 20, 1958, while pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Bunning threw his first of two no-hitters by blanking the Boston Red Sox 3-0 during the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park. He threw his second with the Philadelphia Phillies — a Father’s Day perfecto against the New York Mets in 1964.
Also throwing no-nos on this day are the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Bill Singer and the Brooklyn Superbas’ Mal Eason.
Singer threw his on July 20, 1970, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium for a 5-0 win. On July 20, 1906, Eason no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals for a 2-0 win at Robison Field.
July 13, 2018
It has now been 27 years since the A’s were no-hit
The Oakland Athletics have reached the 27th 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 8, 2018
Phillies’ Donahue no-hits Beaneaters, 120 years ago today
The Philadelphia Phillies’ Frank “Red” Donahue threw a no-hitter against the Boston Beaneaters, 120 years ago today.
Donahue, who lost a league leading 35 games for the St. Louis (NL) Browns in 1897, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies after the season. On Friday, July 8, 1898, he no-hit the 1897 NL pennant winners at National League Park. Donahue issued two walks and the Phillies committed one error.
“He gave the most brilliant exhibition of twisting the sphere that has been seen on the local grounds this season,” noted The Times of Philadelphia. “Not a Champion got beyond second base during the entire nine innings, and not a single Champion got a safe hit during the entire nine innings.”
The Beaneaters eventually adopted the name of the Braves, moving to Milwaukee and then Atlanta.
July 2, 2018
Homer Bailey tosses 2nd no-no, 5 years ago today
The Cincinnati Reds’ Homer Bailey threw his second no-hitter, five years ago today.
Bailey, who is rehabbing with the AAA Louisville Bats to return from injury, no-hit the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, for a 3-0 win at Great American Ball Park. Bailey walked just one batter and struck out nine.
Less than 10 months earlier, on Friday, September 28, 2012, Bailey tossed a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates for a 1-0 win at PNC Park. Bailey again walked just one batter but this time struck out 10 batters.
Feature photo: Great American Ballpark by peterrieke under CC BY 2.0.
June 29, 2018
Same-day no-nos, 28 years ago today
Twenty-eight years ago today, on June 29, 1990, the Oakland A’s Dave Stewart and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela threw no-hitters on the same day.
Stewart threw his at Toronto’s SkyDome against the Blue Jays, striking out 12 for a 5-0 win. He told Sports Illustrated that it was the first no-hitter of his life.
“I didn’t even have one in Little League,” he told SI after the game. “I’ve never felt better than when I walked off that field tonight. As a pitcher, a no-hitter is it. What else can there be?”
Meanwhile, Valenzuela was getting ready for his start against the St. Louis Cardinals in L.A. when his teammates were watching Stewart’s gem in progress on ESPN in the Dodgers clubhouse.
“You’re watching a no-hitter on TV, and now you’re going to see one in person,” he told them.
A mere 124 pitches later, Valenzuela kept his word, no-hitting the Cardinals for a 6-0 victory.
The double no-hitter occurred only one other time, and it was back in 1898.
On April 22 of that year, the Cincinnati Reds’ Ted Breitenstein no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates for an 11-0 victory. It was Breitenstein’s second no-no. The same day, Jim Hughes of the NL Baltimore Orioles no-hit the Boston Beaneaters for a 8-0 win.
June 27, 2018
Corcoran, Force, Smith and Reuss threw no-nos on this date
Two major-league no-hitters and two Negro Leagues no-nos were thrown on this date.
On Friday, June 27, 1884, Larry Corcoran of the National League’s Chicago White Stockings threw his third no-no, dominating the Providence Grays for a 6-0 win at Lake Front Park.
Ninety-six years ago today, on Tuesday, June 27, 1922, the Detroit Stars’ Bill Force no-hit the St. Louis Giants for a 3-0 win. And 77 years ago today, on Friday, June 27, 1941, the St. Louis Stars’ Gene Smith no-hit the New York Black Yankees for a 6-1 win.
And on Friday, June 27, 1980, 38 years ago today, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss threw an 8-0 no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.
June 25, 2018
Lincecum tosses 2nd no-no vs. Padres, 4 years ago today
The San Francisco Giants’ Tim Lincecum no-hit the San Diego Padres for the second time in less than a year, four years ago today.
Lincecum allowed just one baserunner, walking Chase Headley in the second. He retired the next 23 batters to complete the task at AT&T Park for a 4-0 victory. The only other major league pitcher to throw no-hitters against the same team is the Cleveland Naps’ Addie Joss, who tossed no-nos against the Chicago White Sox on Oct. 2, 1908 and April 20, 1910.
During his first no-hitter on July 13, 2013, Lincecum struck out 13 Padres hitters at Petco Park but needed a 148th pitch to get Yonder Alonso to fly out to left and complete the 9-0 victory. 
Addie Joss
His no-no pitch count is just one shy of the record since Major League Baseball began tracking such things in 1988. Third-baseman Pablo Sandoval contributed to the effort with a seventh-inning backhand grab on a sharp grounder and Hunter Pence helped with a diving eighth-inning catch. Lincecum’s 2013 no-hitter was Petco Park’s first.Meanwhile, the Padres remain the only major league team with no no-no.
June 20, 2018
Silver King loses no-no that’s no longer considered a no-no, 128 years ago today
The Chicago Pirates’ Silver King tossed a complete-game no-hitter and lost, 128 years ago today, in a feat that’s no longer considered an official no-no.
During a Players League matchup at Chicago’s South Side Park on Saturday, June 21, 1890, King threw eight innings of no-hit ball against Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders but found himself down 1-0 due in part to an errant throw by Pirates shortstop “Dell” Darling on an easy seventh-inning grounder hit by George Van Haltren. Van Haltren, who reached second on the error, scored after a Paul Cook sacrifice grounder moved him to third and a Lou Bierbauer sacrifice liner to deep right sent him home. When King’s Pirates couldn’t score in the top of the ninth inning, the game was over, with King having thrown a no-hitter and taken the loss.
Such accomplishments were considered official no-hitters until September 1991, when the Committee for Statistical Accuracy chaired by then MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent, changed the official definition of a no hitter, declaring it a game of nine innings or more that ends with no hits. The change removed King’s feat and an odd 4-0 Andy Hawkins loss from the record books:
Andy Hawkins
New York Yankees (AL)
Sunday, July 1, 1990
Chicago White Sox 4, New York Yankees 0
Comiskey Park (Chicago)
The ’91 rule change also prevented two future games from entering the record books:
Matt Young
Boston Red Sox (AL)
Sunday, April 12, 1992 (First game of doubleheader)
Cleveland Indians 2, Boston Red Sox 1
Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland)
Jered Weaver (6 inn.)
Jose Arrendondo (2 inn.)
Los Angeles Angels (IL)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Los Angeles Dodgers 1, Los Angeles Angels 0
Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
June 19, 2018
Erskine, Busby threw no-hitters on this date
Steve Busby’s ball from his second no-no in the Hall of Fame.
The Brooklyn Dodgers’ Carl Erskine and the Kansas City Royals’ Steve Busby threw no-hitters on this date.On Thursday, June 19, 1952, at Ebbets Field, Erskine no-hit the Chicago Cubs for the first of his two career no-hitters. The Dodgers won 5-0, as Erskine struck out only one but walked only one.
On Wednesday, June 19, 1974, at Milwaukee County Stadium, Busby no-hit the Milwaukee Brewers for a 2-0 win, striking out three and walking one. It was his second of two career no-nos.
June 18, 2018
Dodgers’ Kershaw no-hits Rockies, 4 years ago today.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw threw a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, four years ago today.
The accomplishment came less than a month after the Dodgers’ Josh Beckett threw a no-hitter against the Phillies in Philadelphia. “Beckett told me he’s going to teach me how to do that,” Kershaw said after the game. “So I have Josh to thank.” The Texas-born southpaw struck out 15 and walked none.
Kershaw had a perfect game going in the seventh when shortstop Hanley Ramirez committed a throwing error on a ball hit to him by Corey Dickerson. Kershaw nearly lost the no-hitter soon after when Troy Tulowitzki hit a hard grounder to third, but Miguel Rojas fielded the ball behind the bag and made a long, accurate throw to first, which was aptly scooped by Adrian Gonzalez.
Also throwing no-hitters on this date are:
Ewell Blackwell
Cincinnati Reds (NL)
Wednesday, June 18, 1947
Cincinnati Reds 6, Boston Braves 0
Crosley Field (Cincinnati)
(Blackwell, Vander Meer’s teammate, just misses duplicating his back-to-back no-nos in his next start.)
Don Wilson
Houston Astros (NL)
Sunday, June 18, 1967
Houston Astros 2, Atlanta Braves 0
Astrodome (Houston)
(His first of two no-hitters)
