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Monday, January 23, 2012

THT: Chris Jaffe: Ten least-likely guys to break up a no-hitter

I had the ever-loving liver snaps beat out of me by two crazed Seaverinos after the Qualls hit. (sweet-streamed into one’s family milk box to get even…WINNER!)

4. (TIE) The Tom Seaver duo: April 15, 1970: Phillies’ Mike Compton (season numbers: 18 H, 110 AB, 121 PA, .164 AVG, .149 H/PA. July 9, 1969: Cubs’ Jim Qualls (season numbers: 30 H, 120 AB, 124 PA, .250 AVG, .242 H/PA).

The Jim Qualls game is more famous, but it’s the Mike Compton game that causes this duo to make the list. Qualls is just piggybacking here.

In the Qualls game, Tom Seaver flirted with perfection. He retired the first 25 batters he faced, fanning 11 along the way. Then came Qualls, the No. 8 hitter in the order, playing in just his 18th major league game. Of course, he singled, becoming the Cubs’ only baserunner in the game. Qualls went on to a short career, in which he got exactly 31 lifetime hits, but that includes one some still remember.

Thirty-one lifetime hits is one of the lowest totals ever for a position player that broke up a no-hitter but, improbably, it’s not the lowest by anyone that broke up a Tom Seaver no-hitter.

The year after Qualls, Seaver again got burned by a No. 8 hitter, in this case Phillies catcher Compton. Playing in just his 12th game, he laced out his seventh career hit. Compton ended the season, and his big-league career, with just 18 hits. That’s the fewest career hits by any non-pitcher who got the only hit in a one-hitter.

Repoz Posted: January 23, 2012 at 01:45 PM | 22 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Bob Evans Posted: January 23, 2012 at 02:27 PM (#4043352)

Very tempting to update Mike Compton's Wiki page with this information...but I got distracted by the Ball Hawg link and lost the fervor.

2. Guapo Posted: January 23, 2012 at 03:34 PM (#4043422)

Here's something someone with elite math skills can figure out for me:

Let's say you go to 10 MLB games a year for say, 50 years. What are the odds you're going to see a no-hitter?

3. The cushions are crowded for Edmundo

Posted: January 23, 2012 at 03:36 PM (#4043425)

Heh, a 50 year Phillies fan and I don't even remember Mike Compton. To be fair to my memory, I was at school in Erie at that time so I missed Compton's claim to fame. I was probably still wearing my boots to class on that day. I don't think the snow melted until May that year (along with the two-way uphill climb to and from class, of course).
Garsh, PSU-Behrend (as it was known then) was a miserable place to attend school.

4. Answer Guy Posted: January 23, 2012 at 03:55 PM (#4043445)

Would never have thought that many pitchers have broken up no hitters.

5. A triple short of the cycle

Posted: January 23, 2012 at 04:08 PM (#4043454)

I will take this moment to thank Shannon Sharp for hitting a clean single off Curt Schilling with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, June 7, 2007.

6. Delino DeShields & Yarnell Posted: January 23, 2012 at 04:21 PM (#4043467)

Let's say you go to 10 MLB games a year for say, 50 years. What are the odds you're going to see a no-hitter?
For simplicity, I think of any one game being a no-no as about a 1 in 1000 shot. (a couple a year on average) =0.001
The chances of seeing one over that time are 1 minus the chance of never seeing one. That's 1-(0.999)^500=0.39 So you've got about a 40% chance over your lifetime. [I've seen mine - Zambrano 09/14/08]

7. WillYoung Posted: January 23, 2012 at 06:08 PM (#4043584)

And I saw mine (Scott Erickson).

8. Walt Davis Posted: January 23, 2012 at 07:15 PM (#4043624)

And I saw mine (Burt Hooton) ... probably about the 4th game I ever attended. I've seen tons live on TV.

Yes, I guess he was a better hitter, but still a bunt single by Ben Davis is pretty unlikely.

Would never have thought that many pitchers have broken up no hitters.

Well, we're going with an often unexciting definition of "broke up a no-hitter" in this article. If the lead-off batter gets a single but it's the only hit that day, he still broke up the no-hitter.

9. Ned Garvin: Male Prostitute Posted: January 23, 2012 at 08:53 PM (#4043685)

Sil Campusano.

10. Dag Nabbit apealing [sic] his own check swing Posted: January 23, 2012 at 09:22 PM (#4043712)

Sil Campusano.

Enters in the 7th, gets a hit off Doug Drabek in the 9th. Gets his next hit 16 days later. Only 53 career hits - but only 12 more after ruining it for Drabek. Hit .212 that year with a H/PA of .194 - but plenty have had worse H/PA than that. For example, just above him is Joe Altobelli who ruined a no-hitter on 9/24/51 with the 52nd of his 54 career hits.

11. salajander Posted: January 23, 2012 at 09:50 PM (#4043738)

If you had the Sunday plan at Yankee Stadium in 1998 and 1999 you would have seen two perfect games out of 25 or so you attend.

12. Mike Emeigh

Posted: January 23, 2012 at 10:06 PM (#4043751)

I have not seen mine yet. Closest I came was Luke Walker on July 18, 1971, broken up by Dodger rookie Joe Ferguson's first ML HR which landed a couple of sections over from where I was sitting.

-- MWE

13. Misirlou's got a busy day, he's wearing a vest Posted: January 23, 2012 at 10:21 PM (#4043768)

I have not seen mine yet. Closest I came was Luke Walker on July 18, 1971, broken up by Dodger rookie Joe Ferguson's first ML HR which landed a couple of sections over from where I was sitting.

A good friend of mine is Charlie Manual's nephew. In May of 2010, the Phillies came to Miami, and he asked me if I wanted to see a game or 2. He could get comped tickets from his Uncle. I looked at the schedule, and said, "Let's go Saturday, Halladay vs Josh Johnson." He said he couldn't make Saturday, but he could get tix for Friday and Sunday. So that's what we did.

The game we missed

14. AndrewJ Posted: January 23, 2012 at 10:28 PM (#4043775)

I had tickets for Game 1 of the 2009 NLDS at Citizens Bank Park through my postseason ticket package, so when I signed up in 2010 I naturally assumed I'd have tix for Game 1 of the '10 NLDS, too. I was mistaken, and instead was at Game 2 48 hours after Halladay's no-no.

15. villageidiom Posted: January 23, 2012 at 10:29 PM (#4043776)

I had tickets to Derek Lowe's no-hitter, and Clay Buchholz's no-hitter. I went to neither game.

For the former I had to work through the weekend, so at the last minute I sold off the tickets. I also sold off the tickets for the latter, because it fell during our family vacation and we were going to be out of town.

I was at the Mussina one-hitter at Fenway. That's the closest I've come to a no-hitter live.

16. Mike Emeigh

Posted: January 23, 2012 at 10:29 PM (#4043778)

I looked at the schedule, and said, "Let's go Saturday, Halladay vs Josh Johnson." He said he couldn't make Saturday, but he could get tix for Friday and Sunday. So that's what we did.

I had the same thing happen for Bob Gibson's 1971 no-hitter in Pittsburgh. To this day I don't remember why I couldn't go Saturday night.

-- MWE

17. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: January 23, 2012 at 11:11 PM (#4043805)

"Adam-12" and "Mannix," of course.

18. Ned Garvin: Male Prostitute Posted: January 24, 2012 at 12:13 AM (#4043851)

No no-hitter for me, but I was at the Ben Davis bunt game. Schilling was dealing.

My roommate was at either the Bud Smith or AJ Burnett no-hitter, whichever one happened to the Padres at home. He left early because his girlfriend got tired.

19. hokieneer Posted: January 24, 2012 at 12:53 AM (#4043866)

Never even came close to a no-hitter, but I've only been to 10-12 games in my life. Most of my games have been huge offensive games, except I did see Pedro throw a CG shutout in Fenway in '04. That was pretty cool.

20. Pat Rapper's Delight Posted: January 24, 2012 at 01:01 AM (#4043874)

Closest I ever came to seeing one was Ryan's 7th. I was a student at UTA at the time and tried to catch most of his starts but it was late in the semester, I was tired from design projects coming due, Ryan's starts generated big crowds and it was also Arlington Appreciation Night or some such with one of the local grocery stores selling heavily discounted tickets. So instead of fighting the crowds and going to the game, I caught up on some much-needed sleep.

Turned the TV on after waking up to see Nolan giving a live interview in the dugout: "Well I was just glad to finally git one here fer all the great fayans here in Arrrrlington."

My screams of agony are still probably echoing across campus some 20+ years later.

21. The Long Arm of Rudy Law Posted: January 24, 2012 at 02:00 AM (#4043916)

It doesn't qualify for this list, but Rudy Law (18 career HR) and Bryan Little (3 career HR) broke up a Dave Stieb no-hitter in the ninth with back-to-back HR. Gary Lavelle came in and gave up a third straight one to Harold Baines. Tom Seaver started and lost for the White Sox in that game.

We had tickets to this Milt Wilcox game, but my dad thought it was going to rain, so we didn't go.

22. steM oG steL Posted: January 24, 2012 at 06:28 PM (#4044785)

I was at this game. The surprising thing is that Kit Pellow hit too well to be on this list.

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Monday, January 23, 2012

THT: Chris Jaffe: Ten least-likely guys to break up a no-hitter

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