Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 63

Yankees’ Pearson, White Sox’s Walsh threw no-nos on this date

Monte Pearson, pictured here, and Ed Walsh, pictured above, threw no-hitters on this date.Today marks the anniversary of no-hitters thrown by the the New York Yankees’ Monte Pearson (79 years) and the Chicago White Sox’s Ed Walsh (106 years).

Pearson threw his no-no against the Indians during the nightcap of a Saturday doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on August 27, 1938, with the Yankees topping Cleveland 13-0. Previous Yankees no-hitters were thrown by George Mogridge (1917) and “Sad” Sam Jones (1923).

Walsh no-hit the Boston Red Sox for a 5-0 win at Comiskey Park on Sunday, August 27, 1911, striking out eight and walking one. It marked the fourth no-hitter in franchise history, with James “Nixey” Callahan tossing one in 1902 and Frank Smith throwing no-nos in 1905 and 1908.

Chicago American Giants’ Wickware no-hits ABCs, 103 years ago today

Frank Wickware threw a Negro Leagues no-hitter for the Chicago American Giants, 103 years ago today.

On Wednesday, August 26, 1914, Wickware no-hit the Indianapolis ABCs for a 1-0 win.

According to Wickware’s SABR bio written by Stephen V. Rice, Wickware allowed just one base runner. The ABCs’ George Shively led off the game by drawing a walk and was thrown out trying to steal second. Wickware then retired the next 26 batters for the nearly perfect game..

50th anniversary of Dean Chance’s no-hitter for Twins

Dean Chance threw a complete-game no-hitter for the Minnesota Twins 50 years ago today, just 19 days after throwing a rain-shortened perfect game.

Chance no-hit the Cleveland Indians during the second game of a Friday doubleheader on August 25, 1967, for a 2-1 win at Cleveland Stadium. Chance yielded an earned run in the first inning on two walks, an error and a wild pitch. He settled down and scattered three walks over the next eight innings, striking out a total of eight batters.

Just four starts earlier, on Thursday, August 6, 1967, Chance retired the only 15 Boston Red Sox batters he faced at Metropolitan Stadium for a 2-0 rain-shortened victory. Such games were considered official no-hitters until 1991.

Chance died in October 2016 at the age of 74.

Also throwing a no-hitter on this date was the Detroit Tigers’ Virgil Trucks. On Monday, August 25, 1952, trucks no-hit the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium for a 1-0 win. It was Trucks’ second no-no.

Dodgers’ Hill loses no-no in 10th on Harrison walk-off

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rich Hill became the first pitcher since 1995 to throw nine innings of no-hit ball without completing the feat.

With the game gridlocked at 0 in the bottom of the 10th, Hill gave up a no-out walk-off homer to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Josh Harrison, killing the no-no and giving the Pirates a 1-0 win. The 37-year-old Hill struck out 10, walked none and threw just 99 pitches.

The last pitcher to take a no-no into the 10th was the Montreal Expos’ Pedro Martínez. At San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium on Saturday, June 3, 1995, Martinez retired all 27 Padres he faced and entered the 10th with the perfecto in tact and the Expos up 1-0. Martinez gave up a leadoff double, killing both the perfect game and the no-hitter. Mel Rojas came in and retired the next three batters to secure the one-hit victory.

Hill was working on a perfecto until the ninth, when Jordy Mercer reached base on an error by third baseman Logan Forsythe.

Padres’ no no-no streak reaches 7,777

The San Diego Padres’ no no-no streak reached 7,777 games on Tuesday evening on a third-inning Stephen Piscotty single off starting pitcher Clayton Richard.

The Padres continue their march toward the Mets’ mark of futility, which hit 8,019 games before Johan Santana no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bob Gibson’s no-no, 46 years ago today

Bob GibsonHall of Fame great Bob Gibson threw his only career no-hitter, 46 years ago today.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ flamethrower shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, August 14, 1971, for an 11-0 victory at Three Rivers Stadium.

Gibson struck out 10 and walked three batters while helping his team at the plate with three RBIs. One came on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and the others reached home on Gibby’s eighth-inning bases-loaded single.

Gibson won 251 games over a 17-year career spent entirely with the Cardinals. The Omaha, Nebraska, native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

Alvarez tosses no-no in 2nd start, 26 years ago today

Wilson Alvarez threw a no-hitter for the 1991 Chicago White Sox in just his second major league start, 26 years ago today.

Alvarez, a 6-foot-1 southpaw from Maracaibo, Venezuela, no-hit the Baltimore Orioles on August 11, 1991, walking five and striking out seven.

His outing at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium went considerable better than his major-league debut, in which he left the game after facing five batters without getting a single out. On July 24, 1989 as a member of the Texas Rangers, Alvarez yielded a leadoff single to Junior Felix and then served up back-to-back homers to Tony Fernandez and Kelly Gruber. Bobby Valentine pulled Alvarez after the southpaw issued back-to-back bases on balls to George Bell and Fred McGriff.

Alvarez went on to carve out a 14-year career, posting a 102-92 record with a 3.96 ERA. He retired in 2005 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Also throwing a no-hitter on this date is the Boston Braves’ Vern Bickford, who no-hit the Brooklyn Dodgers at Braves Field on Friday, August 11, 1950 for a 7-0 win.

Happy birthday Larry Corcoran, threw three no-hitters

Larry CorcoranHappy 158th birthday to Larry Corcoran, the first pitcher to toss three career no-hitters.

Corcoran, who born on this day in 1859 in Brooklyn, threw all of his no-nos for the National League’s Chicago White Stockings, later renamed the Cubs. All were accomplished at home at Lake Front Park.

Joining Corcoran in the three no-hitters club are Cy Young, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan. Koufax added a fourth, and Ryan went on to throw seven no-hitters.

Here are Corcoran’s no-hitters:

1
Larry Corcoran


 
Chicago White Stockings (NL)


 
Thursday, August 19, 1880

Chicago White Stockings 6, Boston Red Caps 0

Lake Front Park (Chicago)


2
Larry Corcoran


 
Chicago White Stockings (NL)


 
Wednesday, September 20, 1882

Chicago White Stockings 5, Worcester Ruby Legs 0

Lake Front Park (Chicago)


3
Larry Corcoran


 
Chicago White Stockings (NL)


 
Friday, June 27, 1884

Chicago White Stockings 6, Providence Grays 0

Lake Front Park (Chicago)

Willis (maybe) no-hits Senators, 118 years ago today

Wire services reports of this game recorded it as a no-hitter, though both the home and away newspaper accounts disagree.Vic Willis is credited with throwing the second no-hitter for the Braves franchise 118 years ago today, although accounts in both the home and away newspapers recorded this game as a one-hitter.

Willis, pitching for the National League’s Boston Beaneaters at the Huntington Avenue Grounds on Monday, August 7, 1899, no-hit the Washington Senators for a 7-1 win, according to the official no-hitter list.

But The Washington Times had a different take, noting in its sub-headline: “Washington Secures Only One Little Scratch Hit of Willis.

“Dinneen made the only hit off him,” the paper said, “accomplishing this feat in the sixth inning, when he was the first man to bat.”

The Boston Globe agreed, and the headline on Globe sportswriter Tim Murnane’s story read “Only One Hit Off Willis in the Full Nine Innings,” although Murnane said the hit was “was not worth the name.”

Box scores in both the Washington and Boston papers show one hit.

But the wire service accounts and box scores that spread across the nation show the game as a no-hitter, and that’s how it stands in the MLB record books.

Niekro no-hits Padres, 44 years ago today

Phil NiekroKnuckleballer Phil Niekro threw the Braves’ first no-hitter after the club’s move to Atlanta, 44 years ago today.

Sticking with his trademark knuckler from the seventh inning on, Niekro no-hit the San Diego Padres for a 9-0 win at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on Sunday, August 5, 1973. Niekro had been mixing in fastballs and sliders in the earlier innings.

Five Padres reached base during the game, three on walks and two on errors.