Four years ago today, on March 1, 2012, Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek announced his retirement. Varitek was the first major league catcher behind the plate for four no-hitters. (Carlos Ruiz tied the record in 2015). Here are Varitek’s four: 1 Hideo Nomo Boston Red Sox (AL) Wednesday, April 4, 2001Boston Red…
No major-league pitcher has ever thrown two perfect games in a year, but one major-league outfielder has bowled two of them. The Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts has notched two 300s this off-season on the alleys, setting a mark that no MLB hurler has matched on the mound. For a list of the 23 non-bowling…
Fifty years ago today, Los Angeles Dodgers aces Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale refused to report to camp in Vero Beach, Florida, and began their holdout for a multi-year deal giving them a total of $1 million. The dispute was apparently over the length of the contract more than the pitchers’ potential $167,000 annual salaries,…
Hilton Smith and Bernardo Baró, two Negro League pitchers who threw no-hitters, were both born on this date. Baró, born on this date in 1896 in Cárdenas, Cuba, tossed a no-no for the Cuban Stars of Havana during the first game of a Sunday doubleheader on July 21, 1918. Baró held the Indianapolis ABCs hitless…
Happy 32nd birthday to the Detroit Tigers’ Anibal Sánchez, who threw a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins in 2006. On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Sánchez no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 2-0 win at Pro Player Stadium. His feat broke the longest no-hitter drought in Major League baseball history in terms of number of games…
Happy 129th birthday to Grover Cleveland Alexander, one of the greatest pitchers not to throw a no-hitter. Alexander compiled a 373-208 record with a 2.56 ERA over a 20-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. “Ol’ Pete” came close to a no-no in 1915. He was dominating the…