Archives for June 2012

Aaron Hill – Two Cycles a Rarity … Tyrone Horne “Homer Cycle” Even Rarer

June 30, 2012 by

On June 29, Aaron Hill – for the second time in 11 days – hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run in one game).  This made him the first player with a two-cycle season since 1931 (Babe Herman,Brooklyn) – and only the fourth in major league history (it was accomplished twice in the ML American Association of the 1880s (John Reilly, Cincinnati, 1883 and Tip O’Neill, St. Louis, 1887).

Two cycles in a season, a rare feat indeed.  Let’s look, however, at an even rarer feat – the “Home Run Cycle,” accomplished just once in all of professional baseball.   On July 27, 1998, Tyrone Horne of the Double-A Arkansas Travelers hit a solo home run, two-run homer, three-run homer and a grand slam in a 13-4 road victory over the San Antonio Mission.  The term “Home Run Cycle” was coined for Horne’s accomplishment – never done before and not duplicated since.

Although it was surprising, the feat was, perhaps, not totally unexpected.  Horne was in the midst of a stellar minor league season in which he would go .313 with 37 home runs, 140 RBI, 95 runs scored and even throw in 18 stolen bases.  And, right after the historic game, Horne headed off to the Texas League All-Star Game where, of course, he proceeded to win the Home Run Derby.  Horne, by the way, never made it to the major leagues – completing a 13-year (1,286 game) minor league career with a .288 average and 143 home runs.  The bat he used that historic day, however, has made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

A final thought on hitting for the cycle.  Yankee third baseman Tony Lazzeri may have had the major league’s most overshadowed cycle.  On June 3, 1932 – in a 20-13 win over the Athletics – Lazzeri completed his cycle (1B, 2B, 3B, HR) with a grand slam.  On the same day, however, Lou Gehrig notched the American League’s first-ever four-homer game.   Oh yes, and if you’re interested, the career cycle record is three by the Yankees’ Bob Meusel.

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Cincinnati – Chicago – Home … Another Jam Packed Ballpark Tour Complete

June 26, 2012 by

The Great American Ball Park – another great stop on the tour.

The 30th Anniversary Ballpark Tours (BPT) trek is complete – and this will be my last tour-related post.  (Back to more traditional commentary, reviews, etc. – Coming soon a review of John Grisham’s “Calico Joe;” a recipe for “Tokyo Dogs;” and a look at mid-season standings, achievements and disappointments.)

 

Note:  To get the chronological “feel” of the Ballpark tours trek, scroll down and being the with initial post in this series.  

 

The final days of the 2012 BPT trek took our band of about 40 baseball fanatics to:

– Cincinnati … Where we saw our Twins slip by the Reds 5-4, despite a pair of Reds’ 2-run homers.

– Chicago … Where we witnessed a see-saw battle as the White Sox topped the visiting Brewers 8-6.

– Monroe, Wisconsin … Where we toured (and sampled the wares of) the Minhas Craft Brewery,

A few highlights of the final days/hours:

At our Friday game, Cincinnati was honoring the “Big Red Machine” of the ‘70s and we got to see post game interviews with George Foster, Dave Concepcion, Gary Nolan, Dan Driessen and Cesar Geronimo. Foster was particularly entertaining, as he reflected on his 1977 MVP season when he led the NL with 52 home runs, 149 RBI, 124 runs scored and posted a .320 batting average.  According to Foster, he could have plated a few more RBI if Dave Concepcion hadn’t “help up at third” so often.

The post-game interviews were followed by a fantastic fireworks show (the best most of us had seen at a ball park, or any other venue).   Other notables:  The Smokey Red Dogs made for great baseball fare; even the vendors in the stands featured steamed hot dog buns; the Twins’ young Ben Revere went 4 for 4 with a pair of stolen bases; and the Reds’ veteran Scott Rolen went 3 for 4 with a home run and a pair of RBI.   A moment to “rant” about.  In the fifth inning of a 4-3 game, Reds’ fans in centerfield tried to start “the wave,” a fortunately fruitless endeavor that they repeated in the sixth inning of a then 5-4 game.  BBRT remains steadfastly anti-wave, especially in a tight contest.

In Chicago, during Saturday’s final tour contest, we saw a combined 25 hits, 6 walks, 2 hit batsmen, 1 fielding error, 1 passed ball, 10 pitchers and 7 stolen bases in a less then cleanly played White Sox win.  On the plus side, we did witness two very well executed sacrifice bunts.

We also enjoyed another fireworks display – not up to Cincy’s standards, but still very good, well-timed to great music.   Among the food highlights were corn “off the cob” (I had mine with butter, salt and shredded mozzarella); loaded baked potatoes; and a variety of sausages (all available with grilled pepper and onions.)  On the beverage side, mango margaritas received some high praise. It was a beautiful night (some respite from the 90-degree heat) and, as usual, we had good seats (upper deck box behind home plate).  One of our group caught a T-Shirt in the between innings give-away and (as is BPT custom) quickly “gave it to a kid.”

Sunday’s dash for home included a side trip off the main highway – to the small town of Monroe, Wisconsin, where we toured the Minhas Craft Brewery.  Great tour and great tasting – including the popular “Lazy Mutt” Brew and the tasty Huber Bock and Boxer Lager.  The stop in Monroe also included a visit to the Haydock Museum of Beer Memorabilia and time for lunch at one of the restaurants on the town square. I enjoyed a great burger with spicy garlic olives, Swiss cheese and horseradish mayo.  Of note, Minhas lays claim to being the oldest brewery in the Midwest (operating since 1845), now owned by the world’s youngest brewery owners (Ravinder and Manjit Minhas.)  We all received a Minhas “Damn Good Beer” glass for the tasting – with numerous refills available, as well as a five-pack (four beers and one root beer) of samples to take with us.  By the time we rolled out of Monroe, we had met and mingled with a host of locals – and several in our group were talking about coming back for Monroe’s Cheese Fest.

So, there you have it – in 9 days, a total of 205 ½ hours, my personal tally (which is representative of the group) included:

– 8 ball games … 5 major league, 3 minor league – in 5 cities in 4 states.

– 5 museums …  History, Science, Art, Bat Manufacturing, Beer Memorabilia

– 1 pregame tailgate party

– 3 fireworks displays

–  A host of freebies … A tour T-shirt; a Ball Park Tours 30th Anniversary windbreaker; a Roberto Clemente jersey; a Louisville Slugger mini-bat; a magnetic, baseball-oriented photo frame; a MLB.net mini backpack; a Minhas beer glass; a sampler five-pack (four beers and a root beer).

To wrap up BPT’s 30th Anniversary Tour, I had a great time with a lot of great people (old friends and new) who share a passion for the national past time.   How much fun are these tours?  At our Chicago hotel, a good share of the group was gathered in the bar laughing at tales of events from this trip (and a host of trips past), when the manager came over to our group.  Our first thought was that he was going to ask us to “keep it down” a bit.  Instead, he just wanted to comment on how great is was to see a group having such a good time in the lounge/bar.   That’s why Ballpark Tours is my choice for the premier baseball tour operation.

The Lazy Mutt Lounge – a highlight of the Minhas Brewery tour.

 

Filed Under: Ballpark Tours, Rants & Raves

Our Literary Group Moves On – Pittsburgh and our Twins

June 22, 2012 by

PNC Park – beautiful place for a ball game.

The programs and (dutifully completed) scorecards continue to mount up, as our BPT trek has moved on – through Pittsburgh to Cincinnati.  In addition, our band of bus riders continues to move through its on-trek reading material.  In this blog, BBRT will give you a look at the middle of this baseball tour, as well as what baseball fans (at least this group) choose to read.

In Pittsburgh, we witnessed a 7-2 Twins loss to the Pirates, followed by a 2-1 Twins win (on an eighth inning home run by Josh Willingham) and a 9-1 Twins loss on the final day (which prompted one of our group – in about the 7th inning – to proclaim loudly, “In the name of humanity, stop the game.”)  While we lamented the losses, we had plenty of company, as the stands held a large contingent of Twins-attired fans.

PNC Park, with the Roberto Clemente Bridge in the background, provided a beautiful setting for baseball.  We enjoyed different seats, with different vantage points for each game (down the third base line, behind the first base dugout and second deck behind home plate).  This gave our group a real flavor of the park and a chance to interact with a diverse range of Pirates fans.

Unique food flavors included stuffed Pierogies (dumplings with sour cream) and the delicious Primanti Brothers sandwiches (a meal between two slices of bread) that features your choice of cheese steak, ham and cheese and capicola and cheese – with the coleslaw and French fries mashed right into the sandwich.

Cold beer helped take the edge off the 90+ degree heat (and the Twins losses).  To add more local flavor, we were in Pittsburgh for “Pup Night” – lots of cute dogs at the ball park – and members of our group got their choice of a Roberto Clemente jersey or a Pirates hat as a group gift.  There were the usual between-inning stunts (still a sore spot with BBRT) including a Pierogi race, T-shirt toss and even the firing of hot dogs into the stands. All in all, a good ball park experience.

The Pittsburgh front office staff showed a sense of humor, picturing Minnesota players on the big scoreboard next to snow globes encasing the Twin Cities skyline, and playing “Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” between innings.

As usual, we stayed at a hotel close enough to downtown to enjoy the culture of the city.  I chose the Andy Warhol Museum, but other BPT-ers took bus, boat and even Segway tours.  In our free time, trekkers also visited the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Phipps Botanical Gardens, the Heinz Museum and Pittsburgh Zoo (among others);  rode the popular “inclines” for a better view of the city and its rivers; took the water taxi to the game; and shopped and dined at spots like Station Square, Market Square and the Strip. My lunches (all three games were evening affairs) included a spinach salad with hazel nuts, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and feta cheese on one day, and a baked stuffed clam on another.

Basically, we enjoyed not only a great ball park, but an interesting and hospitable city.

Now, for a little on-the-bus culture.  BBRT did a survey of our BPT group, to find out what’s being read on the bus.  The results back up baseball as the most literary game, with the most literate of fans.

Here’s the list (14 non-fiction / 9 fiction) – judge for yourself:

 Non-fiction

– Baseball in the Garden of Eden – Secret History of the Early Game (John Thorn)

 – The Lady in the Tower – The Fall of Anne Boleyn (Alison Weir)

– Big Russ & Me (Tim Russert)

– On the Ground – Illustrated Annotated History of the 60’s Underground Press in the United States (Sean Stewart)

– Freakonomics (Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner)

–  Bill Veeck – Baseball’s Greatest Maverick (Paul Dickson)

  Destiny of the Republic – A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (Candice Millard)

– Moneyball (Michael Lewis)

– The First Girl Scout – The Life of Juliette Gordon Low (Ginger Wadsworth)

– Mayflower (Nathaniel Philbrick)

 – Health and Wellness Newsletter

 – D-Day (Stephen Ambrose)

– Lone Survivor (Marcus Luttrell)

–October 1964 (David Halberstam)

 

 Fiction

 –The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach)

– Hold Tight (Harlan Coben)

– The Mangrove Coast (Randy Wayne White)

 – 63: A Novel (Stephen King)

 – Sherlock Holmes Mysteries (Arthur Cannon Doyle)

 – Good Omen (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett)

– Alias the Saint (Leslie Chartiers)

– Crewel World Framed in Lace (Monica Ferris)

 – Kill Shot (Vine Lloyd)

Yep, no Fifty Shades of Grey.  Maybe they all read it already.

 

Scorecards piling up.

More to come.

Filed Under: Ballpark Tours, Rants & Raves

Ballpark Tour – Breakfast AND a Show!

June 18, 2012 by

What else would you do? Enter?

Where does a sign like the one pictured here generate the greatest level of enjoyment?   That’s easy.  On a Ballpark Tours (BPT) trek.  The bigger question might be – “What else would you do when you leave?  Enter?”

On June 16, I began my annual baseball trek with Ballpark Tours – 9 days of fun (thank you, Julian) with a busload (about 35) of baseball fanatics. The trip, as noted in the previous post, was headed for Kane County, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Chicago.  We’ve got Kane County and Louisville under our belts (or wheels – thanks, Dick) so far and, as usual, all is going well.  The “exit” sign, by the way, was outside Fifth Third Bank Park– the tour’s first stop and home of the Kane County Cougars.  In the next two or three posts, I’ll try to give you a flavor for what a BRT Trek is like.

We left St. Paul, MN, for Kane County (outside Chicago) at 9:00 a.m., our hands filled with a BPT 30th Anniversary T-Shirt, a special 30th Anniversary Windbreaker, the annual Baseball Triva “Kwiz” and a new twist – a competition to predict (guess)  how many runs major leaguers would score during our five weekdays of baseball nirvana.

Our first game was in Kane County (Class A ball), where we were treated to a pregame picnic (brats, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, potato salad, fruit and ice cream.)  The game was typical A-Ball, a 7-4 Kane County Cougars loss to the Cedar Rapid Kernels that featured a few too many hit batsmen, missed cut-off men, bases on balls and strikeouts – but just the right amount of drama and fun.

As is usual in lower-level minor league ball, lots of crazy entertainment in between half-innings.  “Mackerel Jordan” – a large fish in a basketball uniform who devoured everything in sight (including the bat boy) to the “Eat It!” parody of MJ’s beat it – seemed to be the tour favorite.  There was a vote or two for “Harry Canary,” prompted, apparently, by the trademark black-rimmed glasses.  In addition to filling up at the picnic, the group also fill up on souvenirs and beverages (probably in reverse order).

Day two, featured a stop at the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum (after the Illinois-to-Kentucky bus ride), where we all got free (we love free on BPT) mini-bats and, in honor of Fathers’ Day, all the dads got special “Happy Fathers’ Day” versions.

That night’s game was Triple A, and much more crisply played (a 7-4 Rochester Red Wings win over the Louisville Bats.) Rochester is a Twins farm club, so all of us Minnesotans saw a host of familiar faces (Valencia, Nishioka, Thomas, Rivera, Waldrop).  Among minor league stops, AAA games are especially interesting.  You get to see young “risers” on their way up, current major leaguers rehabbing and waiting to come off the major league Disabled List, former productive major leaguers who have seen better times and are looking for one last shot, and players who love the game, have had a taste of the show and are giving it their best to get back.

A particular favorite in our section of the stands was 36-year-old Corky Miller (Louisville catcher) – in his 15th professional season.  Going into the 2012 season, Corky had gotten a taste of the major leagues in parts of  ten separate seasons – totaling 199 games with five teams   (Cincinnati, Minnesota, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago/AL).   He also had chalked up more than 900 minor league games with 9 teams including parts of 8 seasons (including 2012) with Louisville.  His numbers?  Doesn’t matter, he was there to play.  He’s puting his heart into the game.  And, we appreciate it.   By the way, on this particular night, Miller had two walks, a single, a fly out and an RBI.

Now, while BPT tours are about baseball, they are not all about baseball.  We stay in nice hotels, close the the local culture and night life.  We are seeing not just the ball teams, but the people and the cities.  As I awaited tonight’second game in Louisville, I also took in the Louisville Science Museum, The Frazier History Museum (saw at least 7 other “tour-ees” there) and lunch at Kentucky’s only urban winery (River Bend Winery) – a great Buffalo Chicken sandwich, homemade potato chips, a nice Meritage and a pleasing atmosphere of well-balanced “rustic elegance.”

Breakfast AND a show.

Oh yes, our first hotel featured the pictured pancake machine – looked like a copy machine, but turned out two pancakes in sixty seconds, at the push of a button.  Breakfast AND a show, gotta love that.

So much is happening, I almost forgot, we’ve also been treated to a spectacular fireworks show.

More to come. (This blog falls into the “rave” category.)

Filed Under: Ballpark Tours, Rants & Raves

Ballpark Tours – 30th Anniversary

June 15, 2012 by

Ballpark Tours 30th Anniversary Trek Hits the Road

Tomorrow a.m. (Saturday, June 16), I’m off on Ballpark Tours 30th Anniversary Trek … 9 days of baseball and bus rides on what BBRT considers the premiere hard ball touring group.  Ballpark tours offers the perfect combination of structure and freedom to freelance.  “Trekkies” enjoy not just our national pastime, but also the tastes, sounds and culture of major and minor league cities.  In addition, there’s the unique “on-the-bus” baseball-saturated culture and camaraderie. I know in advance that “a good time will be had by all” – and there’s even a trivia competition and an awards ceremony.

This year’s schedule:

June 16 … Ceder Rapids Kernels at Kane County (IL) Cougars, with pre-game picnic.

June 17 … Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum Tour – Rochester Red Wings at Louisville (KY) Bats.

June 18 … Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Louisville Bats.

June 19 … Minnesota Twins at Pittsburgh Pirates, with pre-game “Meet and Greet.”

June 20 … Twins at Pirates.

June 21 … Twins at Pirates.

June 22 … Minnesota Twins at Cincinnati Reds

June 23 … Milwaukee Brewer at Chicago White Sox

June 24 … Wisconsin Brewery Tour and home to Minnesota.

 

 

Filed Under: Ballpark Tours, Rants & Raves

Cain’s Perfect Game – Not So Surprising

June 14, 2012 by

So, here we are talking about a no-hitter AGAIN – see BBRT posts of May 3 and June 9 for more on baseball’s no-hit gems.  This time it’s the Giants’ Matt Cain and last night’s perfect game, a 10-0, 14-strikeout win over the Astros.

Perfect games are always surprising, although this one is less so than some others.  It was, after all, the fifth no-hitter and second perfect game already this season.  Second, Matt Cain was a pretty good candidate to toss a “perfecto” or at least a no-hitter.  Cain, who has a truly “nasty” four-pitch repertoire (four-seam fastball, curveball, slider and changeup – complemented by a less frequently used two-seamer) has taken no-hitters into the seventh inning five times in his career.  He has a 2.76 ERA since 2009, and has been touted for having “ace” stuff since he came to the major leagues in 2005.  He was also coming into last night’s game with a victory in each of his past six starts.

A long-time victim of poor run support – a 77-75 career record despite a 3.28 ERA, and 31 losses when he had given up three or fewer runs –  Cain had this moment in the sun (or, in this case, under the lights) coming.  BBRT says congrats Matt Cain, we knew you had it in you.

Now, if you want to talk about surprising pitching performances, how about Mets’ knuckleballer R.A. Dickey’s one-hit (of the infield variety), no-walk,  12-strikeout. complete game performance of last night.  This  makes Dickey – who came into the season with a 41-50 career record and an ERA north of 4.00 – 10-1, 2.20 ERA on the year, with 19 walks and 90 strikeouts in 90 innings.   His ten wins tie Dickey for the league lead with another surprising hurler – Lance Lynn, who last night went to 10-2 (2.42 ERA) for the Cardinals, striking out 12 in 7.1 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball.   On the season, Lynn has walked 27 and struck out 86 in 81.2 innings pitched.  The 25-year-old Lynn, who was slated to spend the year in the Redbird’s bullpen, was called into starting service due to injuries to Carpenter and Wainwright, and he’s made the most of it.

Matt Cain’s perfect fame – mildly surprising.  Dickey and Lynn leading the NL in victories, even more so.

R.A. Dickey’s 10 wins for the Mets. Now there’s a surprising performance.

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

A-Rod Grand Slam – Historic & Momentous

June 13, 2012 by

A-Rod continues his "trot" to the Hall of Fame.

On June 12, 2012, Alex Rodriguez continued his march to the Hall of Fame by stroking his 23rd “Grand Slam” home run.  It was an historic and momentous blast.  Historic because it tied A-Rod with Lou Gehrig for the all-time lead in career grand Slams.  Momentous because it tied a game the Yankees were trailing (4-0 to the Braves in the eighth) and led to a 6-4 win that kept the Yankees in sole possession of first place (one game ahead of the Orioles).

A-Rod acknowledged history and momentum.  “Lou Gehrig is not only one of the all-time greats, but he’s one of ours,” A-Rod said after the game.  “He was a Yankee.”  Noting the Yankees’ building momentum, he said, “I really felt it was a swing for the team.  I feel like everybody needed that hit and we’ve all been waiting for it.”

BBRT says congrats to A-Rod, and would like to share some Grand Slam trivia with it blog followers.

– While A-Rod and Lou Gehrig top the career Grand Slam list with 23, they are joined in the top five positions (six actually, a tie for fifth) by Manny Ramirez (21), Eddie Murray (19), Willie McCovey (18 and the NL record holder), and Robin Ventura (18).

– Another Yankee, Don Mattingly, set the current single season record in 1987 with six Grand Slams (tied by Travis Hafner of the Indians in 2006).  Notably, Mattingly’s six Grand Slams were the only base-loaded homers of his 14-year career.

– Sticking with the Yankees, they are the only ML team to hit 3 grand slams in one game – coming on August 25, 2011 against the Oakland As at Yankee Stadium (Robinson Cano, 5th inning; Russell Martin-6th; Curtis Granderson-8th).  The Yankees, who trailed 7-1 after three innings, won the game 22-9.

– The NL record for Grand Slams in a season is 5, held by Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks and former Cardinal Albert Pujols.

– Four players have hit a Grand Slam in their very first major league at bat:  Bill Duggleby (Philadelphia, NL, 1898); Jeremy Hermida (Florida, 2005); Kevin Kouzmanoff (Cleveland, 2006); and Daniel Nava (Boston, 2010). Duggleby, Kouzmanoff and Nava all hit their Slams on the first pitch they ever saw in the majors.

– In 1961, when the Orioles’ Jim Gentile hit a then record-tying 5 Grand Slams in a season,  Baltimore’s Chuck Estrada was the Orioles’ starting pitcher each time Gentile struck a four-run blow – winning all four games (On May 9, Gentile hit two Grand Slams in a game against the Twins at Minnesota).

– Only 13 players have hit two grand slams in a game – and only once did the player accomplish this feat in his home park.  Nomar Garciaparra hit two Slams for the Red Sox at Fenway in a May 10, 1999, win over the Mariners.

– Bill Mueller of the Red Sox is the only switch hitter to hit Grand Slams from both sides of the plate in the same game –  in the 7th and 8th innings of a 14-7 Red Sox win at Texas on July 29, 2003.

–  Atlanta Braves pitcher  Tony Cloninger  was the first National Leaguer to hit two Grand Slams in one game – a July 3, 1966,  17-3 complete game victory over the Giants at Candlestick.  He remains the only pitcher with a two-GS game.

– Cardinals third baseman Fernando Tatis is the only player to hit two Grand Slams in the same inning – an 11-run third inning as the Cards beat the Dodgers 12-5 on April 23, 1999.   Dodgers’ starting pitcher Chan Ho Park gave up both grand slams (Why was he still in there?) becoming the answer to the question, Who is the only pitcher to give up two grand slams to the same batter in one inning?

Park’s inning went like this:

Single; Hit By Pitch; Single; Tatis Grand Slam; Ground Out; Home Run;  Walk; Walk; Safe on Fielder’s Choice (attempted sacrifice); Safe on Error; Single; Fly Out; Tatis’ Second Grand Slam; Call to Bull Pen; Pop Out.

Grand Slams – a grand part of the grand old game.

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Combined No-Hitters – Historic Tidbits

June 9, 2012 by

As BBRT considers the concept of a six-pitcher no-hitter, it seems to be more of a statement of the hitters’ collective futility than of pitching quality.

Ernie Shore - while with the Red Sox - finished what the "Babe" started - MLB's first combined no-hitter.

Friday (June 8, 2012), the Seattle Mariners, tied a major league record by using six pitchers to complete a 1-0 no-hit winover the Dodgers in Seattle.  It was the tenth combined no-hitter in major league history, only the second inter-league combined no-hitter, and made Millwood (who left the game after six innings due to a groin injury) one of only three hurlers to start both an individual complete game no-hitter and a multi-pitcher no-hitter.  The others are Kent Mercker and Vida Blue.  As

When BBRT considers the concept of a six-pitcher no-hitter, it seems to be more of a statement of the hitters’ collective futility than of pitching quality.   More than a sustained no-hitter, the six-hurler no-hitter is a collection of good innings.  Still, combined no-hitters do make for interesting score cards and bits of baseball history.  Let’s take a look at past combined no-hitters and what made them unique.

The first-ever combined no-hitter may have been the strangest. It came on June 23, 1917, when Red Sox ace lefty Babe Ruth (Ruth had won 23 games in 1916 and was on his way to a 24-win season in 1917) started on the mound at Fenway, facing the Washington Senators.  Ruth walked the first batter of the game – Senators’ second baseman Ray Morgan – on four pitches.  The hot-headed Ruth quickly earned an ejection for arguing with the home plate umpire, and the Red Sox brought in ErnieShore(on just two-days rest).  Morgan was quickly thrown out stealing and Shore went on to retire the next 26 batters in order (two strikeouts) for a combined no-hitter that was close to a perfect game.

The next combined no-hitter didn’t occur until 50 years later – on April 30, 1967 – when Baltimore Orioles Steve Barber and Stu Miller combined to no-hit the Tigers in Baltimore.  This “gem” is most noted for the fact that it is the only combined no-hitter in which the team that was no-hit managed to get the win.  Barber went 8.2 innings, but walked ten (striking out three) in the 2-1 loss. Despite the walks, it looked pretty good for Barber going into the top of the ninth.  The Orioles had scored in the eighth to take a 1-0 lead.  The ninth went like this.  Barber walked Tiger first basemen Norm Cash to start the inning (Dick Tracewski ran for Cash); Barber then walked light-hitting shortstop Ray Oyler; Tiger pitcher Earl Wilson bunted the runners to second and third; Willie Horton fouled out pinch hitting for second baseman Dick McCauliffe; Jake Wood was brought in to run for Oyler; a Barber wild pitch with center fielder Mickey Stanley at the plate enabled Tracewski to score, tying the game; then Stanley walked and that was all for Barber.  Stu Miller came on and saw third baseman Don Wert safe on an error, with Wood scoring.  Then, finally, right fielder Al Kaline made the third out of the inning.  The Orioles went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the night and the no-hitter was completed – and lost.  The only other losing no hitter came on April 23, 1964, when Houston Colt .45s hurler Ken Johnson was beaten 1-0 by the Reds with an unearned ninth-inning run.  There have also been two eight-inning no-hitter losses (the home team did not bat in the bottom of the ninth), but MLB does not recognize these as official no- hitters.

September 28, 1975, saw the Oakland As’ Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers no-hit the Angels in a 5-0 win in Oakland.  The only tidbit here is that this no-hitter took place on the final day of the regular season – one of only two final day no-hitters (the other being Mike Witt’s 1984 perfect game against the Rangers at Arlington Stadium.)

On July 28, 1976, John “Blue Moon” Odom (pitching for the White Sox) combined with Francisco Barrios to no-hit Odom’s former team, the As. In a 2-1 victory in Oakland, Odom started and went just five innings, walking nine and striking out three. His ninth walk was the lead-off hitter in the sixth inning of a 1-1 tie, which earned Odom an early exit despite the fact that he had not given up a hit.  Barrios tossed the final four innings, giving up 2 walks and striking out two.  (The 11 walks in this game is the most given up in a no-hitter).

On April 11, 1990, Mark Langston started a combined no-hitter for the Angels, playing at home against the Mariners.  The Angels scored in the bottom of the seventh to take a 1-0 lead and Langston, who had thrown 99 pitches in this early-season start, was relieved by Mike Witt, who closed it out with 2 perfect innings (two strikeouts).  Of interest here is that it makes Witt the only hurler to throw a no-hitter as a starter and participate in a no-hitter as a reliever.  (As noted earlier, Witt threw a perfect game for the Angels against the Texas Rangers on September 30, 1984.)

July 13, 1991, the Orioles’ Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Greg Olson no-hit the As 2-0 … notable as one of two combined no-hitters that season.

September 11, 1991, Braves Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena no-hit the Padres 1-0 in the first National League combined no hitter.

The only extra inning, combined no-hitter came on June 12, 1997 – with the Pittsburgh Pirates downing the Houston Astros 3-0 in ten innings on a walk-off three-run homer by pinch-hitter Mark Smith.  The game was started by Francisco Cordova, who went nine innings with 2 walks and ten strikeouts (121 pitches).  Ricardo Rincon relieved in the tenth, walking one and striking out one.  As you would expect, Cordova’s nine innings are the most pitched by any one hurler in a combined no-no.

On June 11, 2003, Houston Astros’ starter Roy Oswalt aggravated a groin injury in the second inning of what went on to become a combined no-hit, 8-0 victory over the Yankees (at Yankee Stadium). Houston used six pitchers in that game, setting the record tied by the Mariners yesterday.  In addition, it was the first inter-league combined no-hitter.   For more on the Astros’ 2003 feat, see the BBRT May 3, 2012, post on Jered Weaver’ s no-hitter.

And that brings us up to the June 8 Mariners / Dodgers game.

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