Fred Toney threw a 17-inning no-hitter in the Bluegrass League, 111 years ago today.
Pitching for Winchester on May 10, 1909, Toney held Lexington to zero hits over 17 frames while striking out 19 batters, walking one, hitting another and seeing four base runners reach on errors. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the 17th, with opposing pitcher Baker (first name unknown) scattering seven hits. Winchester won the game on a walk-off suicide squeeze.
Toney, a Nashville-born right-hander, is no stranger to close no-nos. He’s the winning pitcher in Major League Baseball’s only nine-inning double no-no. On Wednesday, May 2, 1917, at Chicago’s Weeghman Park, Toney threw a 10-inning no-hitter against the Cubs for a 1-0 victory. The Cubs’ starter, Hippo Vaughn, threw a nine-inning no-hitter but lost the game in the 10th.
