Celebrating ‘Cannonball’ Dick Redding on what would be his 128th birthday

Today would be the 128th birthday of “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.

It was on Redding’s 57th birthday that Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier by making his 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Redding passed away in October 1948.