Hidden from History
Posted by Raphy on February 17, 2008
I was looking at some PI lists and I came upon a fact that surprised me, although maybe it shouldn't have. Using the team game finder (which goes back to 1957), I was looking at the most pitchers used by a team to throw a nine inning shutout (7 by the Rangers in 2004) and the most pitchers used to throw a nine inning no-hitter (6 by the Astros in 2003 ). When I went to look for the same information regarding perfect games, I came back with all aces. This means, that since 1957 no team has thrown a combined perfect game. Logically, this makes sense, in that if a pitcher is throwing a perfect game he's never in trouble and, unless something really strange happens, his pitch count will be low.
That lead me to the next logical question. Which pitcher has gone the furthest into a perfect game, only to by lifted?
3 pitchers have started a game and pitched exactly five innings without allowing a base runner. Two of those pitchers (David Palmer and Dean Chance) didn't pitch any further because their games were called. Only Bob Knepper has pitched more than 4 innings of a perfect game only to be removed before allowing a baseunner. From the date of the game, I assume that manager Hal Lanier preferred that Knepper be fresh for his playoff start, rather than chase history.
As you can imagine, things have not been as easy for pitchers throwing imperfect no hitters. Since 1957 there have been 116 pitchers who have left their start with at least 9 innings pitched and no hits allowed. All of them them were credited with at least a complete game except for Franisco Cordova on July 12 1997. Cordova threw 121 pitched in nine hitless innings and was replaced by Ricardo Rincon, who finished the job.
Among pitchers who threw less than 9, the award goes to Steve Barber, who on April 30, 1967 was removed after 8 and 2/3 inning of hitless ball.
February 17th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Clay Kirby pitched 8 innings of no hit ball for SD agaisnt the Mets on 7-21-70. He was lifted in the bottom of the 8th for a PH down 1-0
(The mets scored in the first on two walks, a double steal and a groundout).
Reliever Jack Baldschun gave up 3 hits in the9th and Mets won 3-0. Kirby was quite critical of Mgr. Preston Gomez, who of course was trying to win the game.
The PH was Cito Gaston who was apparently given a rest that night and was hitting .333 at the time.
There doesn;t seem tp be a pitch count available but Kirby had 5 BB in 8 innings.
The Mets stole 4 bases off of Kirby in his hitless 8 innings. Now that might be some sort of a record.
February 17th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Nope, no record. In 1992 the Indians stole bases off of Matt Young in his unoffical 8 inning CG no-hitter.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Spartanbill meant "stole 6 bases". Here's the link for that game.
February 18th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Clay Kirby's story was repeated by Don Wilson of the Astros on September 4, 1974. Wilson threw eight no-hit innings, but thanks to two walks and an error in the fifth inning, he found himself down 2-1 to the Reds in the eighth inning, and he got lifted for a pinch hitter. The Astros manager? Preston Gomez.
February 19th, 2008 at 11:52 am
The 2007 Japan Series ended with a perfect game where the starting pitcher was pulled after 8 innings. Here is Joe Posnanski's article on the game:
http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/343293.html
March 15th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
On March 14, 2000, the Red Sox used six pitchers in a 5-0 perfect game spring training win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Pedro Martinez started, followed by Fernando De La Cruz, Dan Smith, Rheal Cormier, Rich Garces and Rod Beck.
http://www.polkonline.com/stories/031500/spo_martinez.shtml
April 16th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
For some reason I thought David Cone was perfect when he was lifted from this game..
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK199609020.shtml
..but I was mistaken. He walked three batters. He was lifted with a no-hitter in progress because he had just come back from the DL and Torre didn't want to push him. Too bad Mariano couldn't hold on to the no-no in the 9th.