Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 45
June 3, 2018
Cards’ Wacha falls 3 outs shy of tossing MLB no-hitter No. 300 over Pirates
The St. Louis Cardinals’ Michael Wacha fell three outs shy of no-hitting the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon, and Major League Baseball’s 300th no-hitter remains up for grabs.
Wacha walked two and struck out eight at Busch Stadium before giving up a ninth-inning leadoff single to right to the Pirates’ Colin Moran. Jordan Hicks came in to preserve the 5-0 win, allowing Wacha improve to 7-1 on the season.
It would have marked the Cardinals’ 11th no-hitter – by our count (We include Ted Breitenstein’s 1891 American Association no-no for the St. Louis Browns). The last St. Louis no-no was 16 years, 9 months ago on Monday, September 3, 2001, when Bud Smith no-hit the San Diego Padres for a 4-0 win at Qualcomm Stadium. Coincidentally, the only pitcher to throw a no-no while wearing No. 52, Wacha’s number, was Smith.
The Pirates were last no-hit 2 years, 11 months, 13 days ago on Saturday, June 20, 2015, when the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer tossed a 6-0 no-no at Nationals Park.
The new Busch Stadium has yet to host a no-hitter.
Feature photo: Busch Stadium Inaugural Season by Phil under license (CC BY 2.0).
100th anniversary of ‘Dutch’ Leonard’s second no-no
Today is the 100th anniversary of Hubert “Dutch” Leonard’s second Boston Red Sox no-hitter.
Leonard no-hit the Detroit Tigers on the road at Navin Field on Monday, June 3, 1918, for a 5-0 victory. Just over two years earlier, Leonard no-hit the St. Louis Browns at Fenway Park for a 4-0 win on Wednesday, August 30, 1916.
Leonard holds the modern-era record for the lowest single-season ERA, holding opposing batters to an amazing 0.96 runs per nine innings in 1914.
The Red Sox traded Leonard to the New York Yankees in December 1918, but he never appeared in Yankee pinstripes. New York sold him to Detroit, where he finished his playing career.
June 1, 2018
Johan breaks the curse, 6 years ago today
Today is the sixth anniversary of Johan Santana breaking the Mets’ no no-hitters streak at 8,019 games. As per tradition, we celebrate by repeating our original post from June 1, 2012.
The streak ends at 8,019: Santana no-hits Cards
John Santana
For the first time in 8,019 games, a New York Mets game has ended with a zero in the opposing team’s “H” column.Johan Santana threw a no-hitter Friday to accomplish what Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and David Cone could do only for other teams — not the Mets.
Santana scattered five walks and struck out eight during the 8-0 victory.
Sanatana’s no-no leaves the San Diego Padres as the only franchise without a no-hitter, and anoints the Padres with newfound infamy as the team with the longest drought. We haven’t yet worked out their current count.
The Mets drought stretched into the team’s 50th season, starting when the St. Louis Cardinals’ Julian Javier singled to left off Mets starter Roger Craig on April 11, 1962, during the Mets franchise’s first Major League game.
In addition to Ryan, Seaver, Gooden, Cone, Mike Scott and Hideo Nomo also pitched no-hitters after leaving the Mets. Nomo is the only pitcher to hurl no-nos both before (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1996) and after (Boston Red Sox, 2001) his stints with the Mets.
The rest of the cast pitching no-hitters before joining the Mets includes Don Cardwell (Chicago Cubs), Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves), Dean Chance (Minnesota Twins), Dock Ellis (Pittsburgh Pirates), John Candelaria (Pittsburgh Pirates), Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City Royals), Scott Erickson (Twins), Al Leiter (Florida Marlins) and Kenny Rogers (Texas Rangers).
Thank you, Johan for finally breaking the curse.
May 30, 2018
Indians’ Eckersley no-hits Angels, 41 years ago today.
The Cleveland Indians’ Dennis Eckersley threw a no-hitter against the California Angels, 41 years ago today.
On Monday, May 30, 1977, Eckersely walked just one batter at Cleveland Stadium as the Indians topped the Angels 1-0. The only other batter to reach first base was Bobby Bonds, who made it to first on an eighth-inning strikeout/wild pitch.
Eckersley told UPI that when the game was down to the final out, Gil Flores stalled before stepping up to the plate. Eckersley yelled for him to get on up there.
“‘One more out and you’re it,’ I told him.”
Eckersley, who also pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Oakland A’s, now does some studio work for NESN.
May 29, 2018
Halladay throws perfect game, 8 years ago today
The late Roy “Doc” Halladay threw a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Florida Marlins, eight years ago today.
On Saturday, May 29, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium, Halladay sent every Marlins batter he faced back to the dugout, and a lone unearned run in the third was all the Phillies needed to defeat Florida 1-0.
Halladay added a second no-hitter in the 2010 postseason, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 in the first game of the National League Divisional Series.
Halladay was killed on Nov. 7, 2017, when his small airplane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida. Toxicology reports showed Halladay had a toxic dose of amphetamines in his system.
Also throwing a no-hitter on this date is Ed Morris, who tossed one for the American Association’s Columbus Buckeyes 134 years ago today. On Thursday, May 29, 1884 at Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park, Morris shut down the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for a 5-0, no-hit win.
Feature image: Roy Halladay by Darrin under license CC BY-SA 2.0
May 28, 2018
Thrown bat denies Bush second no-no, 100 years ago today
The Boston Red Sox’s “Bullet” Joe Bush would have notched his second no-hitter 100 years ago today if not for a bat thrown at a ball in the first inning of the contest.
Bush, pitching through persistent rain showers at Fenway Park on Tuesday, May 28, 1918, tossed a 1-0 one-hitter against the World Champion Chicago White Sox. The only hit off Bush came in the first inning after Eddie Collins drew a two-out walk and Happy Felsch threw his bat at the ball on a hit-and-run play for a single to right. Collins and Felsch reached second an third on a wild pitch, but Bush recovered to strike out Buck Weaver to keep the inning scoreless.
Bush provided the game’s only RBI in the fifth by singing off White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte with runners on first and second, scoring Fred Thomas.
Bush threw a no-hitter two years earlier as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. On Saturday, August 26, 1916, at Shibe Park, Bush no-hit the Cleveland Indians for a 5-0 win.
May 27, 2018
Brooklyn’s Adonis Terry throws 2nd no-no, 130 years ago today.
Brooklyn’s Adonis Terry threw the second of his two no-hitters, 130 years ago today.
On Sunday, May 27, 1888, Terry no-hit Louisville at Brooklyn’s Ridgewood Park to give the Bridegrooms a 4-0 win over the Colonels.
His first no-no came on Saturday, July 24, 1886, when Terry no-hit the St. Louis Browns for a 1-0 win at the Brooklyn Grays’ new home of Washington Park.
May 26, 2018
36-up, 36-down for Haddix, 59 years ago today
Major League Baseball’s best 12-inning pitching performance occurred 59 years ago today.
On May 26, 1959, in Harvey Haddix’s first season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Medway, Ohio southpaw retired 36 Milwaukee Braves batters for a perfect game through 12 innings, but his team couldn’t score. Haddix lost the perfect game when Don Hoak threw a routine grounder in the dirt, then lost the no-hitter and the game when Joe Adcock launched a ball over the right-center field fence.
Haddix was later immortalized by The Baseball Project, which asks in its chrous, “Why don’t we add ‘ol Harvey to the list?”
Just three years before Haddix’s gem, three Cincinnati Reds pitchers combined for 9⅔ innings of no-hit ball during an 11-inning loss to the Milwaukee Braves. Johnny Klippstein (7 inn.), Hersch Freeman (1 inn.), Joe Black (2⅓ inn.) were no-hitting the Braves at Milwaukee County Stadium before Black gave up a Jack Dittmer double with one out in 10th. He allowed two more hits in the 11th for a walkoff loss.
May 25, 2018
Dodgers’ Beckett no-hits Phillies, 4 years ago today.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Josh Beckett no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies, four years ago today.
On May 25, 2014, Beckett walked three and struck out six during his 6-0 road victory at Citizen Bank Park. It marked the Dodgers franchise’s 24th no-no, tops in the majors, and the team added a 25th in 2018. (Note that our count includes Brooklyn Atlantics/Grays/Bridegrooms no-nos by Sam Kimber in 1884 and Adonis Terry in 1886 and 1888.)
Beckett’s no-hitter marked the Dodgers’ first since Hideo Nomo threw a 9-0 no-hit, no-run game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996.
The only other no-hitter thrown on this date was by Charles “Deacon” Phillippe, who tossed a no-no for the National League’s Louisville Colonels on Thursday, May 25, 1899. Phillippe no-hit the New York Giants for a 7-0 at Louisville’s Eclipse Park.
Feature photo: Citizens Bank Park, wide by Jay Reed licensed under (CC BY-SA 2.0), cropped and shaded.
May 24, 2018
A’s pitcher Atkinson no-hits Pittsburgh, 134 years ago today
The Philadelphia Athletics’ Al Atkinson no-hit the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (Pirates), 134 years ago today.
On Saturday, May 24, 1884, in an American Association match-up at Philadelphia’s Recreation Park, Atkinson notched his first-of two no-nos for a 10-1 victory.
The right-hander from Clinton, Illinois, who also played outfield for the A’s, threw his second no-no against the New York Metropolitans at Jefferson Street Grounds on Saturday, May 1, 1886.
