Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 98
March 22, 2016
Marlins pitchers toss spring training no-no vs. Tigers, seven years ago today
Three Florida Marlins pitchers threw a spring training no-hitter, seven years ago today.
On Sunday, March 22, 2009, Ricky Nolasco threw seven innings of no-hit ball and Dan Meyer and Leo Nuñez (whose real name was later revealed to be Juan Carlos Oviedo) each tossed one no-hit inning to lead the Marlins to a 2-0 no-hit victory over the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium.
March 18, 2016
Happy birthday to ‘Nixey’ Callahan, threw first AL no-hitter
Today would be the 142nd birthday of James “Nixey” Callahan, who threw the first American League no-hitter.
Callahan, pitching for the Chicago White Sox during the first game of a September 20, 1902 doubleheader at Chicago’s South Side Park, no-hit the Detroit Tigers for a 3-0 victory. The Sox scored all three runs in the first inning, and the Tigers put three runners on base – two on walks and one on an error.
Callahan later managed for the White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 16, 2016
Yankees no-hit in Panama, 2 years ago today
Two years ago today, the Miami Marlins accomplished something that no other major league team can claim – they no-hit a team in the country of Panama.
Four Miami pitchers combined for the 5-0 no-no against the New York Yankees in a March 15, 2014 game in Panama City honoring former Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera.
Brad Hand threw the first five innings, striking out six while allowing a man to reach base on a hit batsman. Relievers Steve Cishek, A.J. Ramos and Arquimedes Caminero closed out the game, never allowing a hit.
Preseason no-hitters are somewhat rare, so it’s quite odd to have two in the previous two seasons. In 2015, nine Atlanta Braves pitchers combined for a no-hitter against the Houston Astros in Kissimmee, Florida in a 10-inning game that ended in a 2-2 tie.
March 14, 2016
Happy 50th birthday to Kevin Brown, threw ’97 no-no
A happy 51st birthday to Kevin Brown, who threw the Florida Marlins’ second no-hitter in 1997.
Brown in that June 10 game led the Marlins to a 9-0 no-hit, no-run victory over the San Francisco Giants at 3Com Park.
Brown, who struck out seven in the game, had been perfect through 7 2/3 innings when he grazed Marvin Benard with a cutter. Benard was the Giants’ only base runner.
March 13, 2016
Happy birthday to no no-no streak breaker Johan Santana
John SantanaHappy 37th birthday to Johan Santana, the man who ended the New York Mets’ no no-hitters streak and passed the torch to the San Diego Padres. As is our standing tradition, we celebrate the day by repeating our original post from June 1, 2012:
The streak ends at 8,019: Santana no-hits Cards
For the first time in 8,019 games, a New York Mets game has ended with a zero in the opposing team’s “H” column.
Johan Santana threw a no-hitter Friday to accomplish what Nolan Ryan, Tom seaver, Dwight Gooden and David Cone could do only for other teams – not the Mets.
Santana scattered five walks and struck out eight during the 8-0 victory.
Sanatana’s no-no leaves the San Diego Padres as the only franchise without a no-hitter, and anoints the Padres with newfound infamy as the team with the longest drought. We haven’t yet worked out their current count.
The Mets drought stretched into the team’s 50th season, starting when the St. Louis Cardinals’ Julian Javier singled to left off Mets starter Roger Craig on April 11, 1962, during the Mets franchise’s first Major League game.
In addition to Ryan, Seaver, Gooden, Cone, Mike Scott and Hideo Nomo also pitched no-hitters after leaving the Mets. Nomo is the only pitcher to hurl no-nos both before (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1996) and after (Boston Red Sox, 2001) his stints with the Mets.
The rest of the cast pitching no-hitters before joining the Mets includes Don Cardwell (Chicago Cubs), Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves), Dean Chance (Minnesota Twins), Dock Ellis (Pittsburgh Pirates), John Candelaria (Pittsburgh Pirates), Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City Royals), Scott Erickson (Twins), Al Leiter (Florida Marlins) and Kenny Rogers (Texas Rangers).
Thank you, Johan for finally breaking the curse.
March 11, 2016
Happy birthday Dock Ellis
Dock Ellis (National Baseball Hall of Fame)Happy birthday to Dock Ellis, the only major league pitcher known to throw a no-hitter under the influence of LSD.
Ellis, who would have been 71 today, threw the no-no for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, June 12, 1970 during the first game of doubleheader against the Padres at San Diego Stadium. The pitcher has acknowledged taking LSD the day of the game, as he was under the impression that the Pirates had a day off.
You can read all about this accomplishment in Chapter 19 of Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats, “The Acid-Washed No-No.”
Ellis, who later in life overcame drug issues and became a drug counselor, died in 2008.
March 9, 2016
No-no birthday wishes to a couple of Philadelphians
NoNoHitters.com sends out birthday wishes to a couple of Philadelphians who threw no-nos more than 100 years apart.
The Philadelphia Athletics’ Al Atkinson, born 155 years ago today, no-hit the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (Pirates) on Saturday, May 24, 1884 in an American Association match-up at Philadelphia’s Recreation Park. It was the first of two no-nos for Atkinson, who also no-hit the New York Metropolitans at Jefferson Street Grounds on Saturday, May 1, 1886.
More than a century later for the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies, Terry Mulholland no-hit the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, August 15, 1990 at Veterans Stadium. Mulholland was born on March 9, 1963, and celebrates his 53rd birthday today.
One more no-no birthday of note, but this pitcher threw his no-no against a Phildelphia team. George Davis who tossed a Boston Braves no-hitter against the Phillies during the second game of a Wednesday doubleheader at Fenway Park on September 9, 1914. The Braves won 7-0.
March 8, 2016
9 Braves pitchers hurl 10-inning Spring Training no-no, 1 year ago today
Photo by MoveToLakeMary 
Nine Atlanta Braves pitchers combined for a Spring Training 10-inning no-hitter against the Houston Astros, one year ago today.
The pitchers combined to allow two earned runs on nine walks while striking out nine in Kissimmee, Florida, in a 10-inning game that ended in a 2-2 tie. They were: Cody Martin (2), Jim Johnson (1), Josh Outman (1), Brandon Cunniff (1), Ian Thomas (1), Mauricio Cabrera (1), Lucas Sims (1), Justin Jackson (1), Jairo Heredia (1).
Of course Spring Training no-hitters don’t count, but here are the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves no-hitters that do count: Braves No-hitters.
Note that only one official major league no-hitter has ended in a tie, and that was back in 1884. In that Oct. 4 game, the Brooklyn Atlantics’ Sam Kimber no-hit the Toledo Blue Stockings in an American Association game at Brooklyn’s Washington Park that lasted 10 innings.
March 7, 2016
Happy birthday “Bobo,” thrower of no-no in first start
Bobo Holloman (National Baseball Hall of Fame)Today would be the 91st birthday of Alva “Bobo” Holloman, who pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in 1953.
Holloman no-hit the Philadelphia Athletics 6-0 at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, May 6 of that year. The game was the pinnacle of his brief major league career, which ended after two seasons with a 3–7 record and a 5.23 ERA.
Holloman died in 1987 at the age of 64.
March 6, 2016
Roanoke College notches first no-hitter
John Ruhlman (Roanoke College photo)Roanoke College’s John Ruhlman threw the first no-hitter in school history on Saturday as the Maroons topped Eastern Mennonite 9-0 during the second game of a doubleheader at Salem Memorial Stadium.
According to the school’s website, it was the first recorded no-hitter for the Salem, Virginia, school since the baseball program was reinstated in 2002.
Sean Guida saved Ruhlman’s no-hitter in the seventh with an over-the-head catch.
With two outs in the ninth, Ruhlman allowed the next two batters to reach base on a walk and an error before striking out pinch hitter Brendon Salladay.
