The pitcher’s mound, a favorite gathering spot to talk about jammed eyelids, visiting fathers, cursed gloves and wedding gifts, was lowered from 15 inches to 10 inches for the ’69 season.
The rule change was part of a response to the issue of pitching becoming too dominant in the NL and AL, as evidenced by five no-hitters thrown during the ’68 season:
| 163 | Tom Phoebus |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles (AL) | |
| Saturday, April 27, 1968 Baltimore Orioles 6, Boston Red Sox 0 Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) |
|
| 164 | Jim "Catfish" Hunter |
| Oakland Athletics (AL) | |
| Wednesday, May 8, 1968 Oakland Athletics 4, Minnesota Twins 0 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland) (Perfect game) |
|
| 165 | George Culver |
| Cincinnati Reds (NL) | |
| Monday, July 29, 1968 (Second game of doubleheader) Cincinnati Reds 6, Philadelphia Phillies 1 Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia) |
|
| 166 | Gaylord Perry |
| San Francisco Giants (NL) | |
| Tuesday, September 17, 1968 San Francisco Giants 1, St. Louis Cardinals 0 Candlestick Park (San Francisco) |
|
| 167 | Ray Washburn |
| St. Louis Cardinals (NL) | |
| Wednesday, September 18, 1968 St. Louis Cardinals 2, San Francisco Giants 0 Candlestick Park (San Francisco) |
How did the changes work? They resulted in six no-hitters in the ’69 season:
| 168 | Bill Stoneman |
|---|---|
| Montreal Expos (NL) | |
| Thursday, April 17, 1969 Montreal Expos 7, Philadelphia Phillies 0 Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia) (His first of two no-hitters) |
|
| 169 | Jim Maloney |
| Cincinnati Reds (NL) | |
| Wednesday, April 30, 1969 Cincinnati Reds 10, Houston Astros 0 Crosley Field (Cincinnati) (His second of two no-hitters) |
|
| 170 | Don Wilson |
| Houston Astros (NL) | |
| Thursday, May 1, 1969 Houston Astros 4, Cincinnati Reds 0 Crosley Field (Cincinnati) (His second of two no-hitters) |
|
| 171 | Jim Palmer |
| Baltimore Orioles (AL) | |
| Wednesday, August 13, 1969 Baltimore Orioles 8, Oakland Athletics 0 Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) |
|
| 172 | Ken Holtzman |
| Chicago Cubs (NL) | |
| Tuesday, August 19, 1969 Chicago Cubs 3, Atlanta Braves 0 Wrigley Field (Chicago) (His first of two no-hitters; Holtzman becomes the second MLB pitcher to throw a no hitter without a single strikeout.) |
|
| 173 | Bob Moose |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) | |
| Saturday, September 20, 1969 Pittsburgh Pirates 4, New York Mets 0 Shea Stadium (New York) |
So much for that theory!
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