Happy 102nd to Opening Day no-no thrower Leon Day

Today would be the 102nd birthday of Leon Day, who threw an Opening Day no-hitter in the Negro National League in 1946.

Day, pitching for the Newark Eagles on Sunday, May 5, 1946, no-hit the Philadelphia Stars at Newark’s Ruppert Stadium for a 2-0 win, allowing just three runners to reach first via a pair of walks and an error. He struck out six batters.

Day had just returned from serving his country in World War II, having stormed Utah Beach during the Allied Forces’ invasion of France.