Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 54

Red Sox’s Viola, Bailey no-hit Phillies in spring game, 25 years ago today

Frank Viola and Corey Bailey teamed up to throw a Grapefruit League no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox, 25 years ago today.

On Friday, April 2, 1993, at Clearwater’s Jack Russell Memorial Stadium, Viola threw seven innings of no-hit ball against the Philadelphia Phillies, walking one and striking out six. Viola also let a runner reach first on a strikeout-wild pitch.

Bailey finished the game with two no-hit innings, walking one en route to securing the 10-0 victory.

“It was important to me to end the spring on a positive note, and I think I did that,” Viola told the AP.

Viola posted a 11-8 record with a 3.14 ERA during the 1993 regular season. Bailey made 11 relief appearances for the Red Sox that year, losing one game and holding down a 3.45 ERA

Happy birthday Phil Niekro

Happy 79th birthday to Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in 1973.

Niekro tossed his no-no on Sunday, August 5, 1973 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for a 9-0 victory. The knuckleballer struck out four and walked three.

The accomplishment would have put the Niekros in the brotherly no-nos club had brother Joe been able to complete his three years earlier.

The Detroit Tigers’ Joe Niekro took a no-hitter into the ninth inning on Thursday, July 2, 1970, when no-no killer Horace Clarke broke it up with a one-out infield hit. That was the summer that Clarke killed three ninth-inning no-nos-in-progress within the span of a month.

The only siblings to accomplish brotherly no-nos were Ken and Bob Forsch.

Kansas City A’s get only no-no, 52 years ago today

The Kansas City Athletics notched the team’s only no-hitter 52 years ago today, though the no-no came during a spring training game.

Although the A’s had five regular season no-nos during the team’s stint in Philadelphia and six while based in Oakland, the franchise couldn’t notch a single one during the club’s 13 years in Kansas City.

But on Friday, April 1, 1966, the Athletics’ Paul Lindblad (6 innings) and John Wyatt (3 innings) combined to no-hit the Houston Astros for a 4-0 win at the Cocoa Expo Sports Center in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Bert Campaneris helped save the no-no with a diving catch in the later innings.

The effort by Lindblad and Wyatt marked the second spring no-hitter in less than a week, as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bob Veale and Luke Walker no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers just four days earlier.

Twins take no-no into 8th, settle for 6-2 win over Orioles

The Minnesota Twins took a no-hitter into the eighth inning Saturday night, settling for a 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Twins starter Kyle Gibson threw six innings of no-hit ball but was pulled by manager Paul Molitor after reaching 102 pitches. Gibson walked five and struck out six. Reliever Ryan Pressly took the ball in the seventh inning and kept the no-no alive for 1⅔ innings before yielding a two-out single up the middle to the Orioles’ Jonathan Schoop.

The Orioles scored two runs in the ninth but Minnesota held on for the team’s first victory of the 2018 season.

Celebrating 10 years of NoNoHitters.com

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the first NoNoHitters.com Mets count update.

On March 31, 2008, as Johan Santana took the mound for the fourth inning of the New York Mets’ season opener without yet yielding a hit, I was thinking that the site I spent months creating might crash and burn on Opening Day. But then Santana hung a two-out changeup, and Josh Willingham knocked it over the wall to move the newly created NoNoHitters.com count up to 7,321. We would advance the count 698 more times before Santana finally broke the Mets curse on June 1, 2012.

Now we’re counting Padres games without a no-no, and if something doesn’t change, the Padres will catch the Mets about 40 or so games into the 2019 season.

For nostalgia, here’s the March 31, 2008 blog post:

No opening-day no hitter for Santana, but he pitches a gem

It would have been perfect: Johan Santana pitches a no hitter in his first start for the New York Mets since signing a six-year, $137.5 million contract.

But it wasn’t to be.

Santana gave up an fourth-inning two-run homer to Josh Willingham to give our NoNoHitters.com count its first action of the season, ticking it up to 7,321.

But that’s OK. The Mets won 7-2, and the historic moment should really come at Shea Stadium … or, if it’s going to be a while, Citi Field.

Santana pitched a gem, striking out eight batters while scattering just three hits and two walks over seven innings of work. The homer was the only glitch. His change-up was brilliant, and it was amazing to see the way he’s able to keep all of his pitches down in the strike zone.

The bullpen did a nice job as well.

I can see Santana throwing a no hitter some time in his career, but it’s probably more important that he wins a Cy Young award if we’re going to make it to the postseason. He won the AL Cy Young in 2004 and 2006, so if it’s going to be an every-two-year occurrence – it’s time.

Fellerwatch Part 2: No ’18 duplication of Rapid Robert’s ’40 feat

It’s official: Bob Feller’s streak of being the only MLB pitcher to toss an Opening Day no-hitter remains intact another year.

Inclement weather delayed two Opening Day games until Friday, and none of the four starting pitchers getting the ball were able to match Feller’s feat.

In the early start, the Detroit Tigers’ Jordan Zimmermann, author of a 2014 no-no against the Miami Marlins, battled the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Iván Nova. Zimmermann lost his immediately when leadoff batter Aaron Frazier doubled; Nova waited until the second batter, when Jeimer Candelario chopped an infield single.

The late afternoon game featured a pair of pitchers each with two career no-hitters: the Cincinnati Reds’ Homer Bailey and the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer, but both lost them early. Bailey lost his on a leadoff Adam Eaton single, and Scherzer gave it up on a Scooter Gennett second-inning double.

Feller, a Hall of Famer, threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in baseball history on April 16, 1940. The 21-year-old Feller used his “heater from Van Meter” fastball 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.”

Cards’ Dickson no-hits Yankees in spring game, 70 years ago today

The St. Louis Cardinals’ Murry Dickson no-hit the New York Yankees in a Grapefruit League game, 70 years ago today.

On Tuesday, March 30, 1948. at St. Petersburg, Florida’s Al Lang Stadium, Dickson no-hit the Yanks for 7-0 win. He walked five batters, hit one and struck out six.

The Cardinals scored all of their runs in the first inning off Bill Bevens in a rally that included a 3-run home run by Stan “The Man” Musial.

Happy birthday Dick Fowler

Happy birthday to Dick Fowler, the only Canadian-born no-hitter thrower.

The Philadelphia Athletics’ Fowler tossed a no-no against the St. Louis Browns during the second game of a September 9, 1945, doubleheader at Shibe Park. The Toronto native was born on this day in 1921.

Fowler posted a 66-79 record with a .455 ERA over a 10-year career with the A’s.

Feller’s record may be safe another year

It’s looking like Bob Feller’s record for being the only MLB pitcher to thrown an Opening Day no-hitter might be safe another year.

Although we still have two postponed Opening Day games scheduled to be played Friday, no pitcher so far has made it past the fourth inning with a no-hitter intact.

Hall of Famer Bob Feller threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in baseball history on April 16, 1940. The 21-year-old Feller used his “heater from Van Meter” fastball 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.”

Season opens on Cy Young’s birthday

Perhaps 2018 will be a year of the pitcher, as Major League Baseball is opening its season on Cy Young’s birthday.

Today would be the 151st birthday of Denton True “Cy” Young, the legendary hurler who threw three no-hitters during a 22-year career that included a major league record 511 wins.

The right-hander from Gilmore, Ohio, was perfect in his second no-no outing. Pitching for the Boston Americans (Red Sox) on Thursday, May 5, 1904, Young retired all 27 Philadelphia Athletics he faced for a 3-0 win at the Huntington Avenue Grounds.

Here are Young’s no-hitters:

1
Cy Young


 
Cleveland Spiders (NL)


 
Saturday, September 18, 1897 (First game of doubleheader)

Cleveland Spiders 6, Cincinnati Reds 0

League Park (Cleveland)


2
Cy Young


 
Boston Americans (AL)


 
Thursday, May 5, 1904

Boston Americans 3, Philadelphia Athletics 0

Huntington Avenue Grounds (Boston)

(Perfect game)


3
Cy Young


 
Boston Red Sox (AL)


 
Tuesday, June 30, 1908

Boston Red Sox 8, New York Highlanders 0

Hilltop Park (New York)

Young ties Larry Corcoran for the major league career record with 3 no-nos. It would be tied once more but not broken until 1965 by Sandy Koufax.

Also celebrating a no-no birthday today is Bill Dietrich, a Philadelphia native who threw a no-hitter for the Chicago White Sox in 1937. At Comiskey Park on Tuesday, June 1, 1937, Dietrich, who was born 108 years ago today, no-hit the St. Louis Browns for an 8-0 win.

We’ll see if any of today’s 30 starters can match Bob Feller’s feat of tossing an Opening Day no-no, accomplished on April 16, 1940.