Today would be the 72nd birthday of Don Wilson, who threw no-hitters for the Houston Astros in 1967 and 1969. The right-handed flamethrower, who pitched one game in 1966, was a mainstay of the Houston rotation from 1967 to 1974, winning 104 games. He died of accidental asphyxiation in his home on Jan. 5, 1975,…
Allie Reynolds, who tossed a pair of no-hitters for the New York Yankees in 1951, was born 100 years ago today. The Bethany, Oklahoma, native threw both of his no-hitters in a 2½-month span during the 1951 season, in which he posted a 17-8 record. He improved on that for 1952, going 20-8 with an…
Happy 39th birthday to Devern Hansack, who threw a five-inning rain-shortened no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox in 2006. Major League Baseball’s committee for statistical accuracy had already determined that rain-shortened no-nos were not official no-hitters, but Hansack made the most of his October 1, 2006, against the Baltimore Orioles on the final day of…
Steve Carlton, one of most proficient major league pitchers not to throw a no-hitter, was elected to the Hall of Fame 23 years ago today. The 329-game winner never even reached the ninth inning with a no-hitter intact, but he holds the modern-day National League record for one-hitters with six. On July 4, 1979, Carlton…
A happy 81st birthday to Sandy Koufax, who tossed four no-hitters — one of them perfect — for the 1960s Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brooklyn-born southpaw pitched his no-nos in consecutive years from 1962-65, culminating with a perfecto over the Chicago Cubs in ’65. The Cubs played nearly 50 years until they were no-hit again,…
Merry Christmas to all, and on this day we’ll also celebrate the birth of two no-hitter throwers born 100 years apart. Charlie Lea, the only no-hitter pitcher born in France, entered the world on this day in 1956 into the town of Orleans, which sits about 69 miles southwest of Paris. Lea tossed a no-no…