Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 94

Celebrating Jackie

Today marks the 69th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the major leagues color barrier.

On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, playing first base and going 0-3 with a run scored. He batted .297 that season to take Rookie of the Year honors.

Robinson’s iconic No. 42, retired throughout baseball, is being worn by every major league player today.

Here’s a little related no-no trivia. Only one pitcher threw a no-hitter while wearing No. 42. It was Sonny Siebert, on Friday, June 10, 1966, Cleveland Indians 2, Washington Senators 0 at Cleveland Stadium.

Happy birthday to Len ‘King’ Cole, threw train-shortened no-no

Happy birthday to Len “King” Cole, a Chicago Cubs pitcher who threw a train-shortened no-hitter in 1910.

Cole, born on this date in 1866, held the Cardinals hitless for seven innings on Sunday, July 31, 1910, during the second game of doubleheader at St. Louis’ Robison Field. Five Cardinals reached base, on four walks by Cole and an error by Johnny Evers. The Cubbies had built up a 4-0 lead by one out in the top of the seventh, when the clock hit 5 p.m. Central — the agreed-upon time to call the game so the teams could catch their trains.

Brewers’ Nieves no-hits Orioles, 29 years ago today

Juan Nieves threw the only Milwaukee Brewers no-hitter to date, 29 years ago today.

On Wednesday, April 15, 1987, at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, Nieves no-hit the Orioles for a 7-0 win. The Brewers’ Robin Yount made a diving catch in right-center field for the final out. Nieves, who was born in the Santurce section of San Juan, is the first Puerto Rico-born pitcher to throw a major-league no-hitter.

(Feature image courtesy of the Ernie Harwell Sports Collection, Detroit Public Library)

Giants’ Marquard no-hits Brooklyn, 101 years ago today

The New York Giants’ Richard “Rube” Marquard no-hit the Brooklyn Robins/Suberpas at the Polo Grounds in just the second game of the 1915 season, 101 years ago today.

The Hall of Famer allowed only three Brooklyn batters to reach base, two on walks and one on an error, as the Giants topped Brooklyn 2-0.

“Marquard had everything a pitcher should have, and a whole heap besides,” noted the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “His speed was not dazzling, but there was an abundance of hop on the ball when he felt that the time was at hand to make Superbas pop foolishly. His control was excellenet.”

The Robins’ George Napoleon “Nap” Rucker, who had thrown a no-hitter against the Boston Doves in 1908, took the loss for Brooklyn.

No-no with only batter reaching base on a strikeout? Only in Korea.

Strikeouts and shutouts are so in today: https://t.co/6ULsJY6erv pic.twitter.com/Y08oF613DO

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2016

When the St. Louis Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia entered the sixth inning Thursday with a no-hitter but not a perfect game intact, the game carried a rather odd tidbit: The only Milwaukee Brewer to reach base at the time did so by striking out and taking first on a dropped ball.

A major-league no-hitter has never ended with the only runner reaching base on a strikeout — but the rarity has happened once … in Korea.

On Friday, May 23, 1997, the Hanwha Eagles’ Jeong Min-cheol no-hit the OB Bears for an 8-0 win at Jeonju Baseball Stadium. Min-cheol’s gem would have been a perfect game if a batter hadn’t reached first base on a dropped third strike.

Thursday at Busch Stadium, Garcia struck out 13 for a 7-0 complete-game 1-hit victory. He lost his no-hitter in the sixth inning when Domingo Santana singled to right. Garcia later allowed another base runner on an eighth-inning walk.

(Feature photo Humphreys community experiences Korean-style professional baseballby USAG- Humphreys under license CC BY 2.0)

Padres no no-no streak reaches 7,500 games

The San Diego Padres’ no no-hitter count reached a significant milestone on Thursday, when the Philadelphia Phillies’ Ryan Howard tagged Padres starter Drew Pomeranz for a 2nd-inning homer at Citizens Bank Park for the Padres franchise’s 7,500th game without a no-hitter.

The streak and NoNoHitters.com are wonderfully chronicled in today’s San Diego Union-Tribune by Kirk Kenney.

The record for most no no-no games from a franchise’s inception is 8,019, and it remains the sole property of the New York Mets. The Mets’ drought began in April 1962 and lasted until June 1, 2012, when Johan Santana no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field.

Unless a Padres pitcher can break the streak that began in 1969, the team would (by my calculations) reach the Mets’ mark sometime during the 2019 season.

Perhaps Clay Kirby’s start on July 21, 1970 reveals the origin of The Curse. In that game, the New York Mets were beating the Padres 1-0 but Kirby still had a no-hitter going through eight innings. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, San Diego skipper Preston Gomez decided to pull Kirby for a pinch hitter, Cito Gaston. Gaston struck out, reliever Jack Baldschun gave up a ninth-inning lead-off single to Bud Harrelson and the Mets rallied to pad their lead to 3-0, which would be the final score.

Here’s a look at some Padres no no-hitters milestones going all the way back to Game 1 in 1969. As always, a huge thumbs-up to Retrosheet for running such an incredible baseball statistics site that allows for such research.

7,444

August 14, 2015, Coors Field (Denver)
The possibility of the first Padres no-hitter was zapped quickly on August 14, 2015, as the Colorado Rockies Nolan Arenado hit a first-inning homer off Padres starter Tyson Ross. But the Padres’ Matt Kemp also hit a first-inning home run, and he made club history in the team’s 7,444th game by following it up with a single, double and triple for the first ever Padres hit-for-the-cycle. The Padres at least knocked one rare feat off the list.

7,000

September 29, 2012, Petco Park (San Diego)

Near the end of the same season that the Padres took sole position of no no-hitter infamy, the team reached the 7,000 game mark when Eric Stults gave up a Buster Posey single in the first inning of a game against the San Francscio Giants. The Padres wound up winning at Petco Park by a score of 8-3.

6,895

June 1, 2012, Petco Park (San Diego)
When Padres starter Clayton Richard gave up a second-inning single to Paul Goldshmidt in the San Diego’s 6,895th game on June 1, 2012, he probably had no idea of the significance.

Clear across the country in New York, Mets ace Johan Santana was working on no-hitting the St. Louis Cardinals for the club’s first no-no in 8,019 games of existence dating back to 1962. That left the Padres as Major League Baseball’s only team without a no-hitter.

6,000

May 7, 2006, Petco Park (San Diego)
Woody Williams lost the no-hitter in game No. 6,000 during his second stint with San Diego. Williams yielded an Aramis Ramirez single in the second inning to hit the mark, and the Chicago Cubs continued their streak of not being no-hit since Sept. 9, 1965. (That streak ended in 2015.)

5,000

April 6, 2000, Shea Stadium (New York)
The Padres hit the 5,000 game mark in just their third game of the millenium, and two no no-hitter streaks continued thanks to this game. The New York Mets’ Derek Bell singled in the second inning to make it 5,000 San Diego Padres games with no no-nos, and Carlos Hernandez’s third-inning single off Mike Hampton sent the Mets’ no no-hitters count up to 6,029 games.

4,000

April 16, 1994, Busch Stadium (St. Louis)
Wally Whitehurst got the start in the San Diego Padres’ 4,000th regular season game, and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Gregg Jefferies ensured it would not be a no-hitter in the first inning. Whitehurst yielded seven hits in seven innings of work to earn the W in an 8-2 victory. Wally was an unlikely candidate for the Padres’ first no-no, as he previously played for the Mets and had a hits-per-nine-inning average of 9.7.

3,000

September 16, 1987, Jack Murphy Stadium (San Diego)
Mark Grant, who was traded to the Padres by the San Francisco Giants in July 1987, started 17 games for San Diego during the season. He was especially effective this night, carrying a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves into the seventh inning. Unfortunately, Gerald Perry led off that inning with a single for the Padres’ 3,000th game with no no-no. Grant yielded just one more hit in a 3-0 complete-game win. He’s now the TV color commentator for the Padres, joining Dick Enberg in the booth.

2,000

August 19, 1981, Busch Stadium (St. Louis)
Juan Eichelberger, who would throw one of San Diego’s one-hitters in 1982, got the ball for Padres game No. 2,000 but lost the no-no in the first inning. St. Louis Cardinals first-baseman Keith Hernandez, the third batter, tagged Eichelberger for a single in a tough start that left him giving up four runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. The Cardinals would win 7-6.

1,000

May 20, 1975, San Diego Stadium (San Diego)
St. Louis lead-off hitter Lou Brock began the Padres’ 1,000th game by tagging starter Alan Foster for a triple in what would be a 4-hit, 2-run first-inning for the Cardinals. But Foster settled down and scattered just three more hits over the next eight innings to lead San Diego to a 5-2 victory. It was one of 21 complete game victories for Foster over his 10-year career. (He also had two complete game losses.)

500

April 30, 1972 (Game 1), San Diego Stadium (San Diego)
Not only would Padres starter Bill Greif lose the no-hitter on the lead-off batter in the Padres’ 500th game, but he would have to be lifted in the second inning after yielding six hits in what would be a 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The culprit was shortstop Larry Bowa, who tagged Greif for a single. Greif would go on to throw three two-hit complete games in his 1973 season with the Padres.

100

July 25, 1969, Forbes Field (Pittsburgh)
Joe Niekro, who became a knuckelballer later in his career, started the Padres’ 100th game, and he lost his no-hitter when Carl Taylor, the Pirates’ second batter, singled. The Padres would win this game 3-2. The next year, as a Tiger, Niekro would take a no-hitter into the ninth against the New York Yankees but lose it on a Horace Clarke single. He never accomplished the rare feat, although his knuckleball brother Phil Niekro did in 1973.

50

May 31, 1969, Parc Jarry (Montreal)
On this day in Montreal against the Padres’ NL expansion partner, Niekro lost his no-no on the second batter when Manny Mota singled for the Padres’ 50th game without a no-hitter. San Diego would win the game 6-2. As mentioned above, Joe Niekro never got a no-hitter but brother Phil Niekro did. The pair lost the chance to become the first sibling no-no team, a feat accomplished by Bob and Ken Forsch in 1979.

1

April 8, 1969, San Diego Stadium (San Diego)
Dick Selma, a former New York Met selected by the Padres in the expansion draft, took the ball for the Padres’ franchise opener at San Diego Stadium but lost his no-hitter on the first batter when the Houston Astros’ Jesus Alou singled to right. Earlier that day, the Mets’ no no-hitters count reached 1,137 when Bob Bailey of the Montreal Expos tagged Tom Seaver for a first-inning RBI double. Selma wound up pitching just four games for the Padres before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs on April 25 of that year for Joe Niekro, Gary Ross and Frankie Libran.

White Sox’s Cicotte tosses no-no, 99 years ago today

Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte threw a no-hitter, 99 years ago today.

Cicotte, one of eight players permanently banned from major league baseball in 1920 for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series, no-hit the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park on Saturday, April 14, 1917 for an 11-0 victory.

Cicotte and seven teammates, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, were banned for life due to their involvement in what became known as the Black Sox Scandal. Cicotte’s catcher for the no-no, Ray Schalk, was not involved in the ’19 Series scheme and continued playing until 1929, catching two additional official no-nos.

(Feature image courtesy of the Ernie Harwell Sports Collection, Detroit Public Library)

Happy birthday ‘Cannonball’ Dick Redding

Happy birthday to “Cannonball” Dick Redding, a Negro Leagues pitcher who threw a no-hitter for the Lincoln Giants in 1912 and likely threw dozens more.

Redding, born on this date in 1890 in Atlanta, no-hit the Cuban Stars in Atlantic City on Wednesday, August 28, 1912, for a 1-0 victory. Redding played for a variety of teams from 1911 through 1928 and has been described as throwing as many as 30 career no-hitters — seven in 1912 alone. Unfortunately, finding box scores for Negro League games is a challenging endeavor, so it’s tough to add more exact dates to our

list.

One other Redding no-hitter was referenced by the New York Press in its story about the August 28 no-no — an August 5 perfect game against the Cherokee Indians during that club’s East Coast barnstorming tour.

Happy birthday to Federal League no-no thrower Hendrix

Happy birthday to Claude Hendrix, who threw a Federal League no-hitter in 1915.

Hendrix, born on this day in 1889 in Olathe, Kansas, got the start for the Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales on Saturday, May 15, 1915 against the Pittsburgh Rebels at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park. Hendrix, a former Pittsburgh Pirates hurler, struck out three and walked three for a 10-0 victory.

“Eight fly balls were hit to the outfielders,” according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story. “Eight men died on pop flys to the infield and seven men were thrown out by ground balls by the infielders.”

Hundreds of fans rushed the field to congratulate Hendrix after he got Jimmy Savage to foul out to end the game.

“I got all the breaks and my teammates played great ball behind me,” Hendrix said.

No-no-ers Willis, Joss born on this date

Happy birthday to Vic Willis and Addie Joss, a couple of old-time no-hitter throwers.

Vic Willis, born on this date in 1876, pitched a no-hitter for the National League’s Boston Beaneaters on Monday, August 7, 1899 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds. The Beaneaters topped the Washington Senators 7-1.

Cleveland Naps ace pitcher Addie Joss, born on this date in 1880, was the first pitcher to no-hit the same team twice.

Joss threw a perfect game against the Chicago White Sox at home on Friday, October 2, 1908, then no-hit the White Sox again during a road game on Wednesday, April 20, 1910. The San Francisco Giants’ Tim Lincecum is the only pitcher to duplicate the feat (vs. Padres in 2013 and 2014).