Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 57
March 6, 2018
Replacement Braves no-hit Replacement Mets, 23 years ago today
A quintet of “replacement” Atlanta Braves pitchers no-hit the “replacement” New York Mets, 23 years ago today.
Spring Training 1995 began with replacement players because of a players’ strike called in August.
On Monday, March 6, 1995, in front of some 800 fans at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, Jose Alvarez (3 inn.), Phil Harrison (2 inn.), Eric Mora (2 inn.), Keith Brown (1 inn.) and Daren Brown (1 inn.) combined to no-hit a bunch of guys in Mets uniforms for a 5-0 victory.
Replacement Braves second-baseman Sean Davvison made a one-out diving stop on a ground ball hit by the Replacement Mets’ Brian Daubach in the ninth to save the no-no.
The New York Times asked Mets manager Dallas Green if he knew the five pitchers who tossed the no-hitter.
“No – and I don’t care, either,” Green told the Times. “All I know is a lot of them were named Brown.”
The 1994-’95 strike, which was lifted on April 2, canceled 948 games, including the 1994 postseason.
Check out our list of Spring Training no-hitters here.
March 5, 2018
Happy birthday to NY GIants’ Jeff Tesreau
Jeff Tesreau, who threw a no-hitter for the New York Giants back in 1912, was born 130 years ago today.
Tesreau, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from Ironton, Missouri, shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 during the first game of a September 6 doubleheader at National League Park.
The scorecard initially credited Phillies leadoff batter Dode Paskert with a first-inning hit, but the official scorer changed his ruling after the game to give Tesreau the no-no. The disputed play was Paskert’s short fly ball near home plate that dropped between first baseman Fred Merkle and catcher Art Wilson.
“Each fielder got under the ball,” noted a story in the Washington Post. “Then fearing a collision, they permitted the ball to drop to the ground.”
If it weren’t for the official scorer’s change, this could have been dubbed Merkle’s Boner II.
March 4, 2018
Browns no-hit Braves but lose spring game, 71 years ago today
A tandem of three St. Louis Browns pitchers tossed a Spring Training no-hitter against the Boston Braves but lost, 71 years ago today.
Jim Bilbrey got the start for St. Louis at Fort Lauderdale’s Westside Park on Tuesday, March 4, 1947, and threw three innings of no-hit ball. Sam Zoldak took the ball for the fourth and yielded two runs on a pair of walks, an error, a bases-loaded fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly despite not giving up a hit.
Zoldak held the Braves runless and hitless through the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, as the Browns pulled within one on a sixth-inning RBI double by Bob Dillinger. Zoldak handed the ball to Mulbrey Sanford for the eighth and Sanford did his job, but the Browns couldn’t plate a runner in the top of the ninth inning and lost 2-1.
It’s the the only no-hit loss in Grapefruit League history (See our full list of Spring Training no-hitters).
Because the Braves didn’t have to bat in the ninth, this would not be considered a no-hitter under the 1991 definition clarification. These “No-hitters lost by the away team in which the game ended after 8 1/2 innings” feats are super rare, as there have only been four regular-season examples over the majors’ 130-plus-year history.
1
Silver King
Chicago Pirates (PL)
Saturday, June 21, 1890
Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders 1, Chicago Pirates 0
South Side Park (Chicago)
Home team led after 8 1/2 innings so didn’t have to bat in ninth. No-hit pitcher threw just 8 innings.
2
Andy Hawkins
New York Yankees (AL)
Sunday, July 1, 1990
Chicago White Sox 4, New York Yankees 0
Comiskey Park (Chicago)
Home team led after 8 1/2 innings so didn’t have to bat in ninth. No-hit pitcher threw just 8 innings.
3
Matt Young
Boston Red Sox (AL)
Sunday, April 12, 1992 (First game of doubleheader)
Cleveland Indians 2, Boston Red Sox 1
Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland)
Home team led after 8 1/2 innings so didn’t have to bat in ninth. No-hit pitcher threw just 8 innings.
4
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)
Home team led after 8 1/2 innings so didn’t have to bat in ninth. No-hit pitchers threw just 8 innings.
March 3, 2018
Happy 158th birthday, perfecto thrower John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward, who threw the majors’ second perfect game in 1880, was born 158 years ago today.
Ward threw his perfecto for the National League’s Providence Grays on June 17, 1880, shutting out the Buffalo Bisons 5-0 at the Messer Street Grounds in Providence.
Beating him to the punch five days earlier was Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs, who threw a June 12 perfect game against the Cleveland Blues at Worcester Driving Park Grounds.
Ward’s was the second of 23 perfect games, with the most recent being thrown by Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012. View them here.
March 2, 2018
Braves no-hit Georgia Tech, 13 years ago today
Five Altanta Braves pitchers threw a Grapefruit League no-hitter against Georgia Tech, 13 years ago today.
On Wednesday, March 2, 2005, at Kissimmee, Florida’s Cracker Jack Stadium (now Champion Stadium), rookie Zach Miner started off by throwing two innings of no-hit ball. Daniel Curtis, Macey McBride, and Anthony Lerew each held the Yellow Jackets hitless during their stints, and Kevin Berry finished up the feat with a perfect ninth. The Braves scored 12 runs on 19 hits in the shutout victory, capitalizing on homers from Chipper Jones and Raul Mondesi.
The Yellow Jackets reached base five times on walks.
Thanks to NoNoHitters.com reader Greg, who was out the game, for pointing this one out so we could add it to our growing Spring Training no-hitters list. If you know of any other spring no-nos not currently listed, please pass them along.
The Braves will be leaving their longtime spring home in the Disney complex at the end of the 2019 season for a new ballpark in North Port, Florida.
March 1, 2018
6 University of Virginia pitchers toss 11-inning walk-off no-no
We don’t typically post about college no-hitters as they’re dime a dozen, but Virginia’s 4-3 11-inning no-no over William and Mary was quite the feat.
The Cavaliers were one out away from recording a 3-2 no-no loss when a bases-loaded wild throw on senior Justin Novak’s chopper down the third base line scored the tying and winning runs.
Here are the details on the pitchers:
Bobby Nicholson (5⅓)
Blake Rohm (⅔)
Grant Donahue (1)
Riley Wilson (⅓)
Mack Meyer (1)
Bennett Sousa (2⅔)
University of Virginia (ACC)
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018
Virginia Cavaliers 4, William & Mary Tribe 3 (11 innings)
Davenport Field (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Nicholson threw 5⅓ scoreless innings and enjoyed a 2-0 lead but was pulled after walking two Tribe batters in the sixth. Rohm came in and immediately threw a wild pitch, putting two runners in scoring position before loading the bases on a walk, but only gave up a single run.
In the seventh, Donahue hit Zach Pearson, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before reaching third on a wild pitch. Pearson scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Matthew Trehub.
The game remained deadlocked at 2 until the top of the 11th, when William & Mary pulled ahead 3-2 on three Virginia errors, putting Sousa on the hook for the potential no-no loss.
In the bottom half of the frame, Virginia loaded the bases on Charlie Cody’s single up the middle, Tanner Morris’ hit batsman, an Alex Tappen sacrifice bunt and a Brendan Rivoli walk.
It was Virginia’s first no-hitter since Nathan Kirby in 2014.
Watch the highlights here:
February 28, 2018
Happy birthday to Mark Gardner, threw 9 no-hit innings in ’91
Happy 56th birthday to San Francisco Giants pitching coach Mark Gardner, who threw nine no-hit innings in 1991 but lost the game in extra innings.
Pitching at Dodger Stadium on Friday, July 26, 1991, Gardner no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers through nine, but the Montreal Expos couldn’t score a run, leaving the game locked in a scoreless tie. Gardner lost his no-no when Lenny Harris led off the 10th by chopping a blooper over the mound that shortstop Spike Owen couldn’t get to in time.
Gardner allowed Eddie Murray to single before Manager Tom Runnells placed a call to the bullpen for Jeff Fassero.
Up came Darryl Strawberry, and he poked a singled to left to drive in Harris and give the Dodgers a 1-0 win. Gardner was charged with the loss, as he had responsibility for the base runner. Watch it all here:
54 years ago: 3 Milwaukee Braves rookies no-hit the Hurricanes
Phil Niekro threw three innings of a Milwaukee Braves exhibition no-hitter against the University of Miami Hurricanes in February 1964.
Three Milwaukee Braves rookies joined forces to no-hit the University of Miami for a Grapefruit League leap-day no-no, 54 years ago.
The feat occurred on Saturday, February 29, 1964, at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. Dick Kelley, who wound up spending five years with the Braves before joining the San Diego Padres, began the game with three innings of no-hit work. Larry Maxie, who wouldn’t make the Braves squad until 1969 and then lasted only two games, pitched another three innings without giving up a hit.
A young knuckleballer by the name of Phil Niekro then took the ball and finished out the game with a three-inning save to secure the 1-0 victory. Niekro enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with 318 wins and 274 losses. He tossed his own regular-season no-hitter on Sunday, August 5, 1973, against the Padres at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for a 9-0 victory.
February 26, 2018
Happy 34th birthday, Anibal Sánchez
Happy 34nd birthday to the Minnesota Twins’ Anibal Sánchez, who threw a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins in 2006.
On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Sánchez no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 2-0 win at Pro Player Stadium. His feat broke the longest no-hitter drought in Major League baseball history in terms of number of games played, with the games between Randy Johnson’s 2004 perfect game and Sánchez’s 2006 no-no reaching 6,364.
Sanchez nearly had a second no-hitter for the Tigers last season.
On July 3, 2015, with the Detroit Tigers, Sánchez took a no-no against the Toronto Blue Jays into the eighth inning, but Ezequiel Cabrera broke up the bid with a one-out single to left field. The Blue Jays went on to score six runs in the inning, but the Tigers held on an 8-6 victory.
Happy 131st birthday, Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Happy 131st birthday to Grover Cleveland “Ol’ Pete” Alexander, one of the greatest pitchers not to throw a no-hitter.
Alexander compiled a 373-208 record with a 2.56 ERA over a 20-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Alexander came close to a no-no in 1915. He was dominating the St. Louis Cardinals on June 5, 1915, and was one out away from a no-hitter when Cardinals shortstop Artie Butler popper a single into short center field. Alexander held on for a 3-0 complete-game one-hit shutout. It was the first one of his four career one-hitters.
