Charlie Ferguson threw the first no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies franchise, 131 years ago today.
Charlie Ferguson threw the Phillies’ first no-hitter as a member of the 1885 Philadelphia Quakers.
Ferguson, pitching for the Philadelphia Quakers on Saturday, August 29, 1885 at home at Recreation Park, no-hit the National League’s Providence Grays for a 1-0 win. The Reading Times noted a rivalry between Quakers pitchers Ferguson and Ed Daily, who held Providence to two hits the day before.
“Both are doing remarkably fine work just at present,” the paper noted, “but Ferguson’s achievement Saturday of retiring the Providence club without a hit ranks as first.”
The two hurlers pitched quite similarly over the 1885 season. Ferguson posted a 26-20 record with a 2.22 ERA, while Daily notched a 26-23 record with a 2.21 ERA.
