Fred Toney
May 2, 1917, 100 years ago: For what remains the only time in the history of Major League Baseball, both starting pitchers in a game pitch no-hitters.
The game was played at Weeghman Park in Chicago, renamed Cubs Park in 1920 and Wrigley Field in 1926. The Chicago Cubs hosted the Cincinnati Reds. The opposing pitchers were Jim Vaughn, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds known as "Hippo," for Chicago; and Fred Toney for Cincinnati.
Weeghman Park, later known as Wrigley Field
Vaughn had already won 21 games in 1914, and 20 in 1915. Toney was also a good pitcher, going 17-6 in 1915 before slumping to 14-17 in 1916.
There were several good hitters in this game, including the Cubs' Cy Williams; and the Reds' Hal Chase and Heinie Groh. Edd Roush would make the Baseball Hall of Fame, as a .323 lifetime hitter and perhaps the best defensive outfielder of his generation, but did not play in this game.
Two Reds who did play in this game would go on to make their mark in football: Right fielder Jim Thorpe, also the 1912 Olympic decathlon Gold Medalist; and center fielder Earle "Greasy" Neale, who would coach the Philadelphia Eagles to the 1948 and '49 NFL Championships.
The home plate umpire was Al Orth, a former major league pitcher, including for the New York Highlanders, the team that became the Yankees. Despite being known as "The Curveless Wonder," he led the major leagues in wins in 1906 with 27, and went 204-189 for his career.
Vaughn began the game by striking Groh out. In the 2nd, Toney walked Williams, but stranded him. Groh led off the 4th with a walk, but was erased on a double play. Then Neale reached on an error, but was caught trying to steal 2nd. Vaughn struck out the side in the 5th. In that inning, Toney again walked and stranded Williams. Vaughn walked Gus Getz to start the 7th, but got a double play.
In the top of the 9th, Vaughn got Manny Cueto to line out to 2nd, and struck out Emil Huhn and Toney. He had his no-hitter. But the Cubs still hadn't gotten a hit of their own. More importantly, they hadn't scored a run, which doesn't necessarily need a hit. He led off the bottom of the 9th, so he could have helped his own cause, but popped up to 3rd. Rollie Zeider grounded to 3rd, and Harry Wolter popped up to 3rd.
Toney had his no-hitter. But the Reds still hadn't gotten a hit, or a run, of their own. For the 1st time, both pitchers had thrown no-hitters. The game went on.
Vaughn began the 10th by getting Getz to pop up to his catcher, Art Wilson. Then, Hippo's luck ran out, as Kopf hit a line drive to right field, for a base hit. He got Neale to fly to center fielder Williams. But Williams misplayed the next ball that came his way, hit there by Chase. Now, there were men on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs.
Up to bat came Jim Thorpe, the Native American known for his 1912 heroics as "The World's Greatest Athlete." Baseball wasn't his best sport (track & field was), or his 2nd (football was), and might not even have been his 3rd (he was also one of the earliest professional basketball stars). But, over 6 major league seasons, he batted .252, and topped out at .327 in 1919 -- and then quit the game, to concentrate on football.
Thorpe hit the ball up the middle, and Vaughn proved too big to bend over and pick it up. With his great speed, Thorpe got to 1st base, and Kopf scored. The ball got into center field, and Chase tried to score as well. Williams threw him out at the plate, for the last out of the inning, but it was too late: The Reds were ahead.
Toney finished the job. He struck out Larry Doyle, the man who once said, "It's great to be young and a Giant," but was no longer young, and no longer a Giant. The next batter was another ex-Giant, still with the disgrace of a 1908 late-season baserunning "boner" and a 1912 World Series fielding blunder: Fred Merkle. He flew out to left. Finally, Toney struck Williams out.
Reds 1, Cubs 0. Toney had pitched 10 innings and kept a no-hitter. It had only been done once before: On July 4, 1908, George "Hooks" Wiltse did it for the New York Giants against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Vaughn bounced back from the experience, winning a career-high 23 games in 1917, a National League-leading 22 in 1918 to help the Cubs win the Pennant, 21 in 1919, and 19 in 1920. But he hurt his arm in 1921, and had to retire, with a career record of 178-137. He died in 1966.
Toney went on to win 24 games in 1917, but was traded before the Reds could win the 1919 World Series. He won 21 for the New York Giants in 1920, and pitched for them in the 1921 World Series, which they won. He also had to retire too soon due to injury, finishing at 139-102. He died in 1953, just 17 days before Thorpe did.
In 1965, another Reds pitcher, Jim Maloney, pitched a no-hitter for 10 innings against the New York Mets, but lost it and the game in the 11th. Later in the season, he pitched another 10-inning no-hitter, and kept it. Like Toney, he did it against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
In 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched not just a no-hitter, but a perfect game against the Milwaukee Braves for 12 innings, but lost all of it -- perfect game, no-hitter, shutout and win -- in the bottom of the 13th inning.
In 1991, Major League Baseball changed the rules so that only no-hitters that were completed would count as no-hitters. In other words, if you pitched a perfect game for 9 innings, allowed a hit in the 10th, and were still on the mound in the 19th inning (Brian Cashman is going to have a stroke if he reads this), and hadn't allowed another damn baserunner, basically having pitched 2 perfect games in 1 night, you still would get credit only for a one-hitter.
For this reason, the aforementioned achievements of Hippo Vaughn, Harvey Haddix, and (in 1 of the 2 cases) Jim Maloney do not count as "no-hitters." But the other achievement of Maloney, and the achievement of Toney, do count.
No comments:
Post a Comment