Reds’ Shoun no-hits Braves in front of tiny crowd, 75 years ago today

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Cincinnati Reds’ Clyde Shoun’s no-hitter against the Boston Braves, the no-no witnessed by the smallest crowd in the past century.

Shoun was nearly perfect on Monday, May 15, 1944, but his feat was witnessed by just 1,014 fans at Crosley Field. His only blemish came on a third-inning walk issued to opposing pitcher Jim Tobin.

Tobin had just thrown his own no-hitter less than three weeks earlier, and that game also makes our Top 5 list of the sparsest no-hit crowds over the past 100 years:

5 smallest crowds to watch a no-no

(Past 100 years)



Clyde Shoun

Cincinnati Reds (NL)

Monday, May 15, 1944

Cincinnati Reds 1, Boston Braves 0

Crosley Field (Cincinnati)

Attendance: 1,014

Dave Morehead

Boston Red Sox (AL)

Thursday, September 16, 1965

Boston Red Sox 2, Cleveland Indians 0

Fenway Park (Boston)

Attendance: 1,247



John Montefusco

San Francisco Giants (NL)

Wednesday, September 29, 1976

San Francisco Giants 9, Atlanta Braves 0

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta)

Attendance: 1,369



Jim Tobin

Boston Braves (NL)

Thursday, April 27, 1944

Boston Braves 2, Brooklyn Dodgers 0

Braves Field (Boston)

Attendance: 1,447



Bill Dietrich

Chicago White Sox (AL)

Tuesday, June 1, 1937

Chicago White Sox 8, St. Louis Browns 0

Comiskey Park (Chicago)

Attendance: 1,500