Happy 54th birthday to San Francisco Giants pitching coach Mark Gardner, who threw nine no-hit innings in 1991 but lost the game in extra innings. Pitching at Dodger Stadium on Friday, July 26, 1991, Gardner no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers through nine, but the Montreal Expos couldn’t score a run, leaving the game locked in…
DetailsFour 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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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