Wednesday, May 26, 2010

May 26, 1959: A perfect loser

MILWAUKEE - You won't find Harvey Haddix's name on the list of pitchers who threw a no-hitter in the Major Leagues, though on May 26, 1959, he did something that nobody else had ever done. Pitching against the two-time defending National League champions, using only two pitches, Haddix threw a perfect game for 12 innings in Milwaukee County Stadium. Unfortunately, his Pirates didn't score a run for him either, and in the 13th inning, Haddix lost the game.

It remains the most remarkable lost game in baseball history. Despite facing a lineup featuring hall-of-famers Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews, Haddix survived three trips through the batting order without giving up a baserunner. When the Pirates couldn't score, he made it through the lineup unscathed a fourth time. It wasn't as if he was getting lucky, either. Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski, pointing out that most no-hitters feature at least one or two good defensive plays to save the game, said it was the easiest game he ever played.

Even more remarkable is that the Braves were stealing all the Pirates' signs. Haddix was only throwing a fastball and a slider, and Pirates catcher Smokey Burgess was giving the signs in a way that the Braves bullpen could see them clearly, allowing them to signal in to the batters with a towel. Only Aaron didn't take the signs. And Haddix still retired 36 straight batters.

The Braves finally made a dent in the 13th inning, when Felix Mantilla reached on an infield error to become the first baserunner. After he was bunted over to second, Aaron was intentionally walked, bringing up Joe Adcock. Still, in a way Haddix still hadn't let any Brave "earn" their way on base. That was until Adcock hit one over the centerfield fence for a home run. And though the hit was downgraded to a double after Adcock passed Aaron on the basepaths, the damage was done, and the Braves had a 1-0 victory despite being outhit 12-1.

For years, Haddix's game was listed as an honorable mention on the list of Major League no-hitters, but after the rules were redefined requiring a team to give up no hits throughout the game to be listed, his name was removed. But nobody forgot the day he became a perfect loser.

A few days after his start, Haddix recevied a letter from a fraternity at Texas A&M which summed up the day nicely. Written on official university stationary, the letter read, simply, "Dear Harvey: Tough shit."



HONORABLE MENTION
May 26, 1987: BOSTON - Game 5, 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons lead by 1 with five seconds left as they prepare to inbound the ball near their own basket. And there's a steal by Bird...

No comments:

Post a Comment