Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 95

Happy 35th birthday to Hisashi Iwakuma, threw ’15 no-hitter

Happy 35th birthday to the Seattle Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma, who broke a streak of 12 straight National League no-hitters by throwing one against the Baltimore Orioles last year.

At Safeco Field on August 12, 2015, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander struck out seven and walked three while holding the Orioles hitless for a 3-0 victory. Kyle Seager made a spectacular catch for the first out in the ninth, snagging a foul ball behind his back. Iwakuma walked the lead-off batter in the eighth, but recovered with a strikeout looking and a 6-4-3 double play to make it to the ninth.

Iwakuma’s performance marked the first American League no-hitter since the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez threw a perfect game at Safeco Field on August 15, 2012.

Reds’ Finnegan takes no-no into the seventh at Wrigley

.@bfinny29 has no-hit the Cubs at Wrigley through 6 frames: https://t.co/eeHTcl393c pic.twitter.com/MyvrdO2D7Z

— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2016

The Cincinnati Reds’ Brandon Finnegan took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Monday before giving up a two-out single to David Ross.

The Cubs scored two runs in the inning to pull within a run. Both runs were charged to Finnegan, who also issued five walks. Chicago took the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when Addison Russell blasted a three-run homer, and the Cubs held on for a 5-3 win.

Finnegan’s outing marked the longest near no-no since the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Ross Stripling took a no-no into the eighth before getting pulled for a reliever. Chris Hatcher came in an gave up a one-out, two-run homer to Trevor Brown.

Happy 52nd birthday, Bret Saberhagen

Happy 52nd birthday to Bret Saberhagen, who threw a no-hitter for the Kansas City Royals in 1991.

Saberhagen threw his no-hitter on Aug. 26, 1991, during a 7-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium, but it was not without controversy.

In the fifth inning of the game, Royals outfielder Kirk Gibson got a late jump on a Dan Pasqua line drive, according to Baseball Digest. Gibson made a last-ditch-effort jump at the warning track but the ball tipped off his glove, letting Pasqua reach second. The official scorer initially ruled it a hit but changed it to a two-base error after watching replays.

Saberhagen’s no-no remained intact, and he retired 14 of the next 15 batters while issuing just his second base on balls in the eighth.

Angels’ Langston, Witt combine for no-no, 26 years ago today

Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined to no-hit the Seattle Mariners, 26 years ago today.

On Wednesday, April 11, 1990 at Anaheim Stadium, Langston threw seven innings of no-hit ball but took himself out of the game as his arm speed just wasn’t there. Manager Doug Rader brought in Witt, who was no stranger to no-hitters. Witt had pitched a perfect game for the Angels on the final game of the 1984 season, topping the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium for a 1-0 win.

Witt needed to retire just six batters in this contest, and his two perfect innings closed out the combined no-hitter and secured a 1-0 victory for the Angels.

Happy birthday to Chris Heston, threw ’15 no-no vs. Mets

Happy Birthday @Hesto23! #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/ht9SArSFvz

— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) April 10, 2016

Happy 28th birthday to Chris Heston, who threw a San Francisco Giants no-hitter against the New York Mets last season in just his 13th major league start.

Heston, a 27-year-old rookie right-hander, struck out 11 batters and did not allow a walk on June 9, 2015, but he hit three batters for the 5-0 win — the first no-hitter thrown at Citi Field since Johan Santana’s 2012 no-no.

Heston was perfect through three innings as his Giants built a 3-run lead off Noah Syndergaard by the middle of the third. Heston retired Curtis Granderson to make it 10 straight before plunking Ruben Tejada in the arm with a 75 mph curve ball and then grazing Lucas Duda’s pant leg with an 89-mph fastball. Heston got out of the jam by inducing a 5-4-3 double-play out of Michael Cuddyer.

Matt Duffy extended the Giants’ lead with a solo homer to left off Syndergaard in the sixth, and Joe Panik tagged relieved Dillon Gee for another dinger in the seventh to make it 5-0.

Meanwhile, Heston kept retiring Mets batters only to return to the Giants dugout to be ignored (per superstitious baseball protocol). His only other blemish came in the ninth when he plunked Mets catcher Anthony Recker in the upper arm with an 89-mph fastball. He then caught pinch-hitter Danny Muno

Granderson and Tejada looking to complete the no-no with his ninth, 10th and 11th K’s.

Pitchers’ trips to infinity … and beyond

When Philadelphia Phillies reliever Daniel Stumpf began his 2016 season by issuing a walk, a grand slam and then another walk before getting pulled in the fourth inning of Thursday’s loss to the Reds, singer/songwriter/Phillies fan Chuck Brodsky wondered if we should add a new statistical category called “No-Outers” that yield an ERA of infinity (∞).

(Quick math refresher: ERA is earned runs times nine divided by the number of innings pitched, so when a pitcher doesn’t get a single out — thus throwing zero innings — the dividing-by-zero issue gives a result of ∞.)

Chuck wondered what the record is for most batters faced without securing an out, so we turned to Baseball-Reference.com‘s wonderful Play Index to answer that question and come up with a Top 11 list of “No-outers.”

RK
Name
Date
Tm
Op
Sc
Dc
I
H
ER
BB
BF
AB




1
Hank Borowy
1951-08-18
DET
SLB
L 9-20

0.0
5
9
4
9
5

















2
Jorge Rondon
2015-05-01
COL
SDP
L 3-14
8-8
0.0
5
7
2
8
6


3
Paul Wilson
2005-05-06
CIN
LAD
L 6-13
GS-1, L
0.0
5
8
1
8
5


4
Paul Wilson
2003-07-10
CIN
HOU
L 2-11
GS-1, L
0.0
6
7
1
8
7


5
Blake Stein
1998-08-31
OAK
CLE
L 6-15
GS-1, L
0.0
4
8
3
8
4


6
Jose Paniagua
1997-09-28
MON
CIN
L 3-11
5-5
0.0
3
5
3
8
3


7
Bobby Jones
1997-09-17
NYM
ATL
L 2-10
GS-1, L
0.0
3
4
4
8
4


8
Bill Krueger
1984-06-25
OAK
KCR
L 0-16
GS-1, L
0.0
6
5
1
8
7


9
Bob Kammeyer
1979-09-18
NYY
CLE
L 3-16
4-4
0.0
7
8
0
8
7


10
Geo Mogridge
1926-09-03
BSN
NYG
L 3-17

0.0
6
7
1
8
7


11
Doc White
1913-07-11
CHW
NYY
L 1-11

0.0
4
5
1
8
6




Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 4/9/2016.

On August 18, 1951, the Detroit Tigers’ Hank Borowy came into a game against the St. Louis Browns and faced nine batters without getting a single out. His line for the day was 9 ER on 5 hits and 4 BB during the 11-run inning. The Browns wound up winning 20-9 — a rare highlight in St. Louis’ otherwise dismal season.

The veteran Borowy pitched in five more games before retiring with a 108-82 record and a 3.50 ERA.

Ten pitchers have faced eight batters without getting a single out, including the Colorado Rockies’ Jorge Rondon, who accomplished the feat last year against the San Diego Padres. Rondon is currently playing for the Indianapolis Indians (Pirates AAA affiliate), hoping to make it back to the majors to improve on his career 12.33 ERA.

The only pitcher to make the list twice is the Cincinnati Reds’ Paul Wilson, who threw infinity outings in 2003 and 2005 yet retired with a finite 4.86 ERA.

The New York Yankees’ Bob Kammeyer holds the record for most hits yielded during an infinity outing with seven, and it was his only opportunity during the 1979 season (and the last of his career) so he lists a final ERA of ∞ for ’79. He did, however, appear in 7 games in 1978, so that balances out to a 9.14 career ERA.

George Mogridge is the only major-league pitcher to have an eight-batter infinity outing and throw a no-hitter.

The Cleveland Indians’ Doc Hamann just missed this list by facing seven batters, but he never had a chance to redeem himself and ended his career with an ERA of infinity. On September 21, 1922, Hamann gave up six earned runs on three hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch to the Boston Red Sox before getting pulled.

The other 13 players to end their careers with infinity ERAs, according to Baseball-Reference.com, are Harry Heitmann, Frank Dupee, Joe Brown, William Ford, Jim Schelle, Mike Palagyi, Fred Bruckbauer, Will Koenigsmark, Bill Moore, Marty Walker, Lou Bauer, Gordie Sundin and Vic Davalillo.

Of that group only Davalillo, who primarily was an outfielder, pitched in multiple games. Facing the New York Mets in the ninth inning of a June 30, 1969, game at Busch Stadium, Davalillo walked Tommie Agee and yielded a Bobby Pfeil single to right before getting replaced by Chuck Taylor. Three days later in the same five-game series, Davalillo stayed in the game after pinch hitting for pitcher Ray Washburn and again began his inning (the eighth) by walking Agee. Ken Boswell then tagged him for an RBI double to right before the Cardinals booted him from the mound for the final time. His career pitching line: 4 batters faced, 2 hits, 2 walks, 0 outs, 1 earned run, ∞ ERA.

The major-league record for most consecutive infinity outings is 3, shared by these seven pitchers:

Name
Start
End
G
IP
H
R
ER
BB
HR
ERA
HBP
WP
TM




Taylor Tankersley
2010-07-23
2010-07-26
3
0.0
3
6
5
1
2
inf
1
0
FLA


Mitch Stetter
2009-08-04
2009-08-12
3
0.0
4
4
3
3
0
inf
0
0
MIL


Chris Hammond
2005-09-24
2006-04-07
3
0.0
4
5
5
2
0
inf
0
0
SDP-CIN


Pedro Borbon
1999-07-30
1999-08-05
3
0.0
4
3
3
2
0
inf
0
1
LAD


Steve Avery
1998-04-10
1998-04-14
3
0.0
3
3
3
2
0
inf
0
1
BOS


Mike Myers
1997-04-16
1997-04-21
3
0.0
3
3
3
1
1
inf
0
0
DET


Bruce Dal Canton
1970-09-02
1970-09-08
3
0.0
5
4
4
2
1
inf
0
0
PIT




















Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 4/10/2016.

Zalabai throws first Hungarian no-hitter, 6 years ago today

Zsolt Zalabai threw the first no-hitter in Hungarian baseball history, six years ago today.

On April 10, 2010, Zalabai, pitching for Óbuda Brick Factory, threw the complete-game shutout for a 3-0 victory against the Trnava Angles of Slovakia during an interleague game.

Mets affiliate Columbia Fireflies toss combined no-no

In just the third game in @ColaFireflies history, three pitchers combine on a no-hitter. https://t.co/cwHgAHXKzi pic.twitter.com/EfZzwlj7hG

— MiLB.com (@MiLB) April 10, 2016

Three Columbia Fireflies pitchers on Saturday combined to throw a no-hitter for the Mets’ Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

Thomas McIlraith threw six no-hit innings, Alex Palsha followed with two no-hit innings and Johnny Magliozzi closed the door in the ninth to lead the Firelies to a 9-0 win over the Charleston Riverdogs (Yankees affiliate).

The relocated Savannah Sand Gnats were playing just their third game as the Columbia Fireflies to complete what took the New York Mets 50 years to accomplish. Until 2012, no major-league Mets pitcher ever threw a no-hitter, but pitchers wearing Mets uniforms have thrown plenty of no-hitters in the minors. Here’s the list:

AAA – International League

May 29, 2001 – Steve Trachsel, demoted to AAA after a bad 2001 start with the Mets, throws a seven-inning, complete-game no-hitter for the Norfolk Tides. The Tides beat the Ottawa Lynx 3-0 in the opener of an International League doubleheader.
May 15, 1992 – David Telgheder pitches a nine-inning no-hitter for the Tidewater Tides during a 1-0 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox. Telgheder struck out seven and walked three.
June 27, 1988 – The Tidewater Tides’ John Mitchell throws a seven-inning perfect game against the Indianapolis Indians. According to the Free-Lance Star, Mitchell struck out five during the 4-0 doubleheader opener for the first perfect game in the newly formed Triple A Alliance, which brought together the International League and the American Association.

AA – Eastern League

(Special thanks to former B-Mets play-by-play and current Astros play-by-play broadcaster Robert Ford for filling in some missing Binghamton no-hitters)

July 23, 2006 – Binghamton Mets pitcher Miguel Pinango throws a seven-inning no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against Portland. The Mets beat the Sea Dogs 7-0.
Aug. 2, 2003 – Binghamton Mets righthander Bob Keppel throws a 3-0 no-hitter against the Portland Sea Dogs, striking out one and walking three.
June 27, 2001 – Donne Wall (starting for Binghamton in a Major League rehab start), Jason Roach and Ivan Montane combine for a 1-0 no-hitter versus the New Britain Rock Cats.
May 5, 1996 – Binghamton Mets pitcher throws a seven-inning no-hitter versus Trenton. Mets 1, Thunder 0.
Sept. 12, 1994 – Binghamton Mets pitcher Bill Pulsipher tosses a no-hitter during Game 2 of the Eastern League Championship Series against the Harrisburg Senators. The Mets win 2-0.

Some extra details on this series from Rob: “The next day, Harrisburg took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 at Binghamton. Rey Ordonez then reached on a one-out single before Edgardo Alfonzo followed with a game-tying, two-run homer. Next up was Brian Jacobs, who hit a walk-off homer for the 5-4 win. Binghamton won Game 4 the following day, taking the EL Championship three games to one. Who was the Harrisburg pitcher who blew the save in Game 3? None other than Al Reyes, whom the Mets just signed to a Minor League deal and sent to Binghamton. Reyes was an EL All-Star closer in ’94, with a league-best 35 saves. Milwaukee chose him in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft that December.


A – New York Penn League

Aug. 23, 2009 – Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher Brandon Moore throws a seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against Aberdeen IronBirds. Cyclones win 5-0.

A – Florida State League

The Mets’ Tug McGraw is said to have broken into professional baseball by pitching a no-hitter for the Mets’ minor league team in Cocoa, Fla., in 1964. I can’t find any details about this, but Ya Gotta Believe.
June 23, 2003 – St. Lucie Mets pitchers Ken Chenard (5 in) and Mike Cox (2 in) combined for a seven-inning no-hitter during the second game of a doubleheader against the Brevard County Manatees. The Mets won 5-0 and the team notched its third no-hitter of the season.
May 28, 2003 – St. Lucie Mets pitchers Tyler Yates (5 in) and Chad Elliott (2 in) combine for a seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against the Palm Beach Cardinals. The Mets win 4-0.
May 9, 2003 – St. Lucie Mets pitchers Wayne Ough (7 in) and Mike Cox (2 in) combine for a nine-inning no-hitter against the Tampa Yankees. The Mets beat the Yanks 5-0 as Ough struck out eight.
June 10, 1996 – Southpaw Joe Atwater throws a no-hitter for the St. Lucie Mets during the second game of a doubleheader.
June 29, 1995 – St. Lucie Mets lefthander Rafael Rogue strikes out 12 while tossing a no-hitter against the Dunedin Blue Jays during a 6-1 victory. The lone run scored on a walk and two errors.

A – South Atlantic League

April 9, 2016 – The Columbia Fireflies’ Thomas McIlraith (6 innings), Alex Palsha (2 innings) and Johnny Magliozzi (1) combined for a nine-inning no-hitter against the Charleston Riverdogs. Columbia 9, Charleston 0.

Happy B-Day to Frankhouse, Dodgers hurler who reached 8th with a no-no

Fred Frankhouse, a Dodgers pitcher who knows what it feels like to reach the eighth inning with a no-hitter intact but not be included in the official record books, was born 112 years ago today.

On Friday, August 27, 1937, in the first game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field, The Brooklyn Dodgers’ curve-baller threw 7⅔ innings of no-hit ball against the Cincinnati Reds before the skies opened up. The rain ended the action and it was called as a Dodgers 5-0 win. (The second game of the doubleheader was canceled.)

Frankhouse allowed six walks, and another Reds batter reached base on an error.

Of course the papers of the day credited Frankhouse with a no-hitter, using such phrases as “Frankhouse enters Hall of Fame,” but a 1991 ruling by baseball’s committee for statistical accuracy zapped rain- and darkness-shortened no-nos from the official ledgers.

On Friday night, the Dodgers’ Ross Stripling tossed 7⅓ innings of no-hit ball in his first major-league appearance before being pulled for a reliever when he hit 100 pitches. Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts took the ball from Stripling, who had battled back from Tommy John surgery, and handed it to Chris Hatcher, who yielded a two-run homer to Trevor Brown.

Indians lose no-no in 9th on Astros homer, 1 year ago today

Trevor Bauer by Erick Drost under CC BY 2.0

On April 9, 2015, the Indians lost the multi-pitcher effort on a 9th-inning one-out home run by the Houston Astros’ Jed Lowrie. Lowrie’s shot over the left-center field wall off Nick Hagadome ended the effort begun by Trevor Bauer (6), Kyle Crockett (1) and Scott Atchinson (1). The Indians held on for a 5-1, one-hit victory.

The Indians’ last no-hitter was a perfect game by Len Barker nearly 35 years ago, marking a current drought second only to the San Diego Padres, who have never thrown a no-no. Barker on that day shut down the Toronto Blue Jays for a 3-0 win at Cleveland Stadium.