RetroSimba

In 1978, Silvio Martinez pitched a one-hitter for the Cardinals against the Mets, four days after he pitched a no-hitter in the minor leagues.

Martinez pitched two one-hitters and a pair of two-hitters for the 1978 Cardinals.

Martinez debuted in the major leagues with the 1977 White Sox, pitching 10 games in relief. After the season, the White Sox sent Martinez to St. Louis, completing an August trade of reliever Clay Carroll to Chicago for players to be named. (The Cardinals also got outfielder Nyls Nyman and pitcher Dave Hamilton.)

Martinez, 22, opened the 1978 season in the rotation of the Cardinals’ Class AAA club at Springfield, Ill. On April 24, he pitched a three-hitter against Iowa. Six days later, he combined with George Frazier on a two-hitter against Evansville.

On May 26, Martinez flirted with a perfect game against Omaha. He retired 23 in a row before an Omaha batter reached base on a error by third baseman John Scott with two outs in the eighth.

In the ninth, Martinez got a break when left fielder Jim Lentine made a diving catch of Jim Gaudet’s drive for the first out. After issuing a walk, Martinez completed the no-hitter in the 4-0 Springfield victory.

“I was throwing hard, but I wasn’t thinking about the no-hitter,” Martinez said to The Sporting News.

The Cardinals promoted Martinez and put him into their rotation. He made his first start in the major leagues on May 30 at New York’s Shea Stadium. Matched against Jerry Koosman, Martinez held New York hitless for six innings. In the seventh, Steve Henderson led off and hit the first pitch from Martinez over the left-field fence for a home run.

“I cried the minute I let it go,” Martinez said to the Associated Press.

Said Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons: “I couldn’t believe how calm (Martinez) was after his no-hit bid was wrecked. I told him to forget about it … He told me, ‘It’s not important. Don’t worry.’ ”

In the ninth, the Mets scored without a hit when Henderson walked, advanced on a wild pitch, moved to third on a ground out and scored on another wild pitch.

The Cardinals won, 8-2. Martinez walked six, hit a batter and struck out two. Boxscore

“He did a heck of a job of concentrating,” said Cardinals manager Ken Boyer. “He is real fast and just wild enough to keep the hitters off stride. I pitched him out of sheer need. He had thrown about 100 pitches Friday night (in the no-hitter). Tonight, he threw 121 times, so that’s not too bad.”

Said Mets manager Joe Torre: “He has a great fastball.”

Martinez pitched another one-hitter against the Pirates at St. Louis on July 8. He pitched a two-hitter against the Giants at Candlestick Park on July 26 and another two-hitter against the Mets on Sept. 25 at Shea Stadium.

In 22 starts, Martinez was 9-8 with a 3.64 ERA for the 1978 Cardinals. He yielded 114 hits in 138.1 innings but had more walks (71) than strikeouts (45).

Plagued by injuries and illness, Martinez never developed into a consistent winner. His record in four years (1978-81) with St. Louis was 31-31 with a 3.81 ERA. In November 1981, the Cardinals dealt him to the Indians for outfielder Lonnie Smith.

Previously: Jim Kaat revived both his career and the Cardinals