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Vinegar Bend Mizell vs. Reds: 9 walks, 0 runs, 1 win

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on September 1, 2018| 5 Comments »

They came from places one might find in a John Grisham novel, but Wilmer Mizell of Vinegar Bend, Ala., and Ed Bailey of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., were real and they were central characters in an unusual game between the Cardinals and Reds.

On Sept. 1, 1958, in the opening game of a doubleheader at St. Louis, Mizell established a National League record for most walks in a shutout, issuing nine in a 1-0 Cardinals victory.

One reason Mizell was able to thrive despite a lack of command was his ability to retire Bailey in key situations. Three times, Bailey batted with two on and two outs and Mizell got him out each time.

Path to success

Mizell was from Leakesville, Miss., located along the Chickasawhay River in the southeast part of the state near the Alabama border. The nearby town of Vinegar Bend, Ala., became Mizell’s adopted home because Leakesville was on the Vinegar Bend mail route.

At 16, Mizell began playing baseball in Sunday leagues in Vinegar Bend and from then on he became known as Vinegar Bend Mizell.

A left-handed pitcher, Mizell signed with the Cardinals in 1949 when he was 18 and established himself as a top prospect. He was 12-3 with a 1.98 ERA for Albany (Ga.) in 1949 and also had strong seasons for Winston-Salem (17-7, 2.48) in 1950 and Houston (16-14, 1.97) in 1951.

Mizell got to the major leagues with the Cardinals in 1952, posted a 10-8 record and issued the most walks (103) of any National League pitcher. After composing a 13-11 record for the Cardinals in 1953, Mizell spent two years in military service and rejoined the Cardinals in 1956.

Windmill windup

Mizell brought an 8-11 record into his Labor Day start against the Reds in 1958. He faced his first challenge in the first inning when Bailey batted with two outs and runners on first and second.

Bailey, a left-handed batter, was born and raised in Strawberry Plains, about 20 miles from Knoxville, and made his major-league debut with the Reds in 1953. He became their starting catcher in 1956 when he hit 28 home runs.

Mizell got Bailey to fly out to right and escaped the first inning unscathed.

The Cardinals scored the lone run in the second against hard-luck Reds left-hander Joe Nuxhall, whose defense let him down. Ken Boyer led off, grounded to third baseman Alex Grammas and reached safely when Grammas booted the ball. After Joe Cunningham flied out, Gene Green hit a roller to second baseman Johnny Temple, who was thinking he could turn a double play, but when he went to scoop the ball it got past him for an error. Boyer advanced to third and Green was safe at first.

Wally Moon followed with a high chopper to the right of the mound. As Nuxhall reached for the ball, Boyer streaked to the plate and Nuxhall’s only play was to throw to first to retire Moon.

In the third, Bailey came up with two outs and runners on first and third, and again he flied out to right.

Mizell, described by the Cincinnati Enquirer as a “big left-hander with the windmill windup,” walked six in the first four innings, but had a no-hitter entering the fifth.

Escaping trouble

In the fifth, Temple singled for the Reds’ first hit, but was erased on Jerry Lynch’s double-play grounder. Pete Whisenant followed with a single, stole second and also stole third. Frank Robinson walked and stole second, giving the Reds runners on second and third with two outs and Bailey at the plate.

Bailey grounded out to second, ending the Reds’ best threat. He would hit .140 (7-for-50) against Mizell in his big-league career.

The Reds put a runner on base in every inning except the ninth and stranded 11. They had nine walks, five stolen bases and four singles but no runs, snapping a six-game winning streak.

The Post-Dispatch described the game as “an unusual thriller” and The Sporting News reported it as “a weird duel.” Boxscore

Mizell threw 150 pitches.

The major-league record for most walks issued in a shutout is 11 by Lefty Gomez of the American League Yankees on Aug. 1, 1941, in a 9-0 victory over the Browns at New York. Boxscore

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How Jackie Robinson hit on all cylinders vs. Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on August 27, 2018| 2 Comments »

Jackie Robinson hit for the cycle one time in his major-league career and he did it in inverse order against four different Cardinals pitchers.

On Aug. 29, 1948, Robinson produced a home run, triple, double and single for the Dodgers in the first game of a doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. Robinson also scored three runs, drove in two and had a stolen base, propelling the Dodgers to a 12-7 victory.

In the second game, Robinson had two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a run scored, helping the Dodgers sweep with a 6-4 triumph in 10 innings and lifting them into first place in the National League.

Making a move

The Dodgers won the 1947 National League pennant under manager Burt Shotton, who filled in while Leo Durocher was suspended for association with gamblers. Durocher returned in 1948 and the Dodgers started poorly, losing 19 of their first 31 games. On July 2, they were in last place at 27-35.

On July 16, 1948, Shotton came back to the Dodgers after Durocher departed to manage the Giants. The Dodgers surged and were back in contention entering the doubleheader against the Cardinals.

The first game of the doubleheader matched Dodgers rookie Paul Minner against Cardinals ace Harry Brecheen and attracted 33,826, the biggest crowd of the season at Sportsman’s Park.

Billy Cox opened the game for the Dodgers with a single and Robinson followed with his home run, a line drive over the wall in left. Pee Wee Reese reached on shortstop Marty Marion’s error and Bruce Edwards connected on a two-run home run, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead and driving Brecheen out of the game without recording an out.

Until then, Brecheen had yielded three home runs all season.

Extra incentive

Robinson, “spurred by constant boos from the crowd,” according to the New York Daily News, led off the third inning with a triple against Ted Wilks.

In the fourth, Robinson doubled to left against Al Brazle, swiped third and scored on Reese’s line out to center.

Robinson lined out to center in the sixth against Red Munger before he completed the cycle with a single in the eighth off Gerry Staley.

Robinson’s last at-bat of the game in the ninth resulted in a fly out against Jim Hearn.

Described by Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as “the nimble Negro star,” Robinson was 4-for-6 in the game.

“He was simply poison to the Cardinals hurlers in the opener,” the Associated Press reported. Boxscore

Pennant push

In the second game, Robinson’s two hits brought his batting average to .300 for the season and the Dodgers’ sweep of St. Louis pulled them into a virtual first-place tie with the Braves. The Dodgers had a 66-51 record and .564 winning percentage and the Braves were 69-54 and .561.

Robinson, in his second Dodgers season after breaking the major league’s segregation practices the year before, finished the 1948 season with a batting mark of .296. He hit .329 in 19 games against the Cardinals in 1948.

After winning 39 of 55 games in their surge from last place to first, the Dodgers eventually faded and finished in third place at 84-70. The Braves won the pennant with a 91-62 record and the Cardinals placed second at 85-69.

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Why Mets told Vince Coleman to get out, stay out

Posted in Hitters, Opponents on August 24, 2018| 8 Comments »

A reckless, senseless act by Vince Coleman blew up in his face, putting him at risk for a jail sentence and casting him into baseball limbo.

On Aug. 26, 1993, the Mets cut their connection to Coleman, telling him to stay home, after prosecutors charged him with a felony for throwing an explosive device similar to a grenade into a parking lot and injuring three people, including two children.

Though a month remained in the 1993 season and Coleman had another year left on his contract, Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon said Coleman “will not play here again as a Met” regardless of the legal outcome of the case. His stint with them was marred by injuries and controversies until he reached rock bottom with the felony charge.

Follow the money

An outfielder with exceptional speed, Coleman debuted in the major leagues with the Cardinals in 1985, established a big-league single-season rookie record with 110 stolen bases, scored 107 runs and sparked St. Louis to a National League pennant. Coleman was the unanimous choice for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Coleman led the league in stolen bases in each of his six seasons with St. Louis, swiping more than 100 three times.

After the 1990 season, when Coleman, 29, became a free agent, the Cardinals offered him a four-year, $10.5 million contract. Coleman rejected it for the Mets’ offer of four years at $11.95 million.

While with the Mets, Coleman had trouble on and off the field. Plagued by damaged hamstrings, he was limited to 72 games and 37 stolen bases in 1991 and 71 games and 24 stolen bases in 1992.

Coleman feuded with manager Jeff Torborg and coach Mike Cubbage and he was suspended for two games after shoving Torborg. In 1992, Coleman was one of three Mets players investigated in a rape allegation until authorities in Port St. Lucie, Fla., determined there wasn’t enough evidence to file charges.

Under attack

On July 24, 1993, Coleman and teammate Bobby Bonilla got into a Jeep driven by Dodgers outfielder Eric Davis after a game at Dodger Stadium. As a prank, Coleman tossed a M-100, described by authorities as a military device having 200 to 300 grains of gunpowder and used to simulate grenades, into the parking lot where a group of people were gathered to seek autographs from players.

The M-100, which packed the equivalent power of a quarter-stick of dynamite, exploded and injured a 2-year-old girl, who suffered second-degree burns to a cheek and damage to an eye and finger; an 11-year-old boy, who had cuts on his shin; and a 33-year-old woman, who complained of vertigo and ringing in her ear, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Salvador Hernandez, who witnessed the incident, told the Los Angeles Times he saw Coleman toss the M-100 and “he definitely meant to throw it at the fans.”

Another witness, Veronica Mayhew, told the New York Daily News the M-100 “started fizzing and everybody thought it was a smoke bomb, but then it just blew up really big and sparks flew everywhere.”

Five days later, Coleman called his actions “inappropriate,” but complained about being portrayed as insensitive and uncaring.

Clear message

Coleman, batting .279 with 38 stolen bases, played his last game for the Mets on July 31, 1993, against the Cardinals at St. Louis. After that, manager Dallas Green, who’d replaced Torborg in May, removed Coleman from the lineup until authorities determined whether to file charges.

On Aug. 3, 1993, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office charged Coleman with one count of unlawful possession of an explosive device. A spokesman said prosecutors opted for a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor because of the strength of the explosive and the injuries. Coleman faced a maximum sentence of three years in jail.

In a prepared statement, Coleman said, “I take full responsibility for a very foolish act for which I am suffering greatly. It was never my intent to hurt anyone.”

At Coleman’s request, the Mets placed him on an unpaid leave of absence.

Meanwhile, public pressure was applied on the Mets to do more to punish Coleman.

_ Steve Serby, New York Daily News: “There really is no point in keeping Vince Coleman around anymore … Coleman is nothing but trouble.”

_ Michael Ventre, Los Angeles Daily News: “Baseball produces a higher percentage of immature knuckleheads than any other sport. Sitting on the throne today as the king of all of them is Coleman … Here’s hoping somebody lowers the boom on Vince.”

_ Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting how pitcher Nolan Ryan pummeled Robin Ventura after Ventura charged the mound: “It’s a shame Vince Coleman didn’t charge Ryan … Maybe we ought to have Nolan Ryan clean this game up, administer his brand of frontier justice, and restore baseball’s vanishing morality.”

Three weeks into his leave of absence, the Mets told Coleman he never would be welcomed back to the team.

“I think it would be in Vince Coleman’s best interests and the New York Mets’ best interests that he never wear a New York Mets uniform again,” Wilpon said.

Said Green: “You’ve got to have guys who care about their responsibilities as a professional and care about the organization and care about winning. There were times that wasn’t Vinny’s first goal.”

Plea bargain

Coleman hired Robert Shapiro to be his defense attorney. Shapiro, one of the lawyers who represented O.J. Simpson in his double-murder trial, sought to have the charge against Colman reduced to a misdemeanor.

On Oct. 22, 1993, Coleman entered a plea of innocent to the felony charge in municipal court in Los Angeles. Two weeks later, on Nov. 5, after Shapiro and prosecutors negotiated an agreement, Coleman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of an explosive device.

A one-year jail term was suspended. Coleman was given three years of probation and assigned 200 hours of community service. He also agreed to make restitution to the three people he injured.

Deputy district attorney Bill Hodgman said he consulted with the victims and their families to determine whether to accept the plea agreement and all agreed he should, the Associated Press reported.

“I’m relieved, very relieved,” Coleman said. “I’m sorry it happened. I’ve suffered dearly.”

On Jan. 5, 1994, the Mets traded Coleman to the Royals for outfielder Kevin McReynolds.

Coleman played four more big-league seasons with four teams, Royals, Mariners, Reds and Tigers, before making an unsuccessful comeback bid with the Cardinals in 1998.

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Harry Walker to Vince DiMaggio: Can you top this?

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on August 22, 2018| 5 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 26, 2024)

Harry Walker and Vince DiMaggio, members of prominent baseball families, displayed dazzling speed and skills in making plays against one another in a game between the Cardinals and Pirates.

On Aug. 31, 1943, at Pittsburgh, Walker drove a ball past DiMaggio in center field and circled the bases for a two-run inside-the-park home run, lifting the Cardinals to a 4-2 victory.

Walker might have had another inside-the-park home run earlier in the game, but DiMaggio made a sensational catch to deprive him.

All in the family

Harry Walker made his major-league debut with the Cardinals in 1940. After spending parts of three seasons (1940-42) with the Cardinals, he was their starting center fielder in 1943.

Harry was the fourth member of his family to play in the big leagues. His father, Ewart Walker, was a pitcher with the Senators from 1909-12 and his uncle, Ernie Walker, was an outfielder with the Browns from 1913-15. Harry’s brother, Dixie Walker, was the best-known, playing 18 seasons (1931 and 1933-49) in the majors as a hard-hitting outfielder with the Yankees, White Sox, Tigers, Dodgers and Pirates. Dixie’s given name was Fred and he was eight years older than Harry.

Vince DiMaggio was the oldest of three brothers who became outfielders in the big leagues. Vince made his major-league debut with the Braves in 1937. Joe DiMaggio, two years younger than Vince, got to the big leagues first, with the Yankees in 1936, and played 13 seasons in a Hall of Fame career. Dom DiMaggio, five years younger than Vince, played for the Red Sox for 11 years after debuting with them in 1940.

In the book “My Greatest Day in Baseball,” Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean said a nightclub owner, Johnny Perkins, bet him he wouldn’t strike out Vince DiMaggio the first time he came up in a game at Boston.

“I did, and when I went back to the bench I made motions to (Perkins) I’d double the bet the next time,” Dean said. “I struck (DiMaggio) out again, and I put everything back on a third bet, and I fanned him three straight times.

“Then Perkins wanted to make it all or nothing, so I took him, and when DiMaggio came up again he lifted a pop foul back of the plate. I thought (Bruce) Ogrodowski was going to catch it, and I ran and hollered, ‘Let it go, let it go.’ He couldn’t get the ball anyway, as it turned out, because it hit the screen, but I’d have bumped him sure as hell if he’d got under it. I wanted to win that bet. I struck DiMaggio out on the next pitch. Four straight times!” Boxscore

Vince was dealt by the Braves to the Yankees on Feb. 4, 1939, and was assigned to their minor-league club at Kansas City. Vince never did join Joe on the Yankees. On Aug. 5, 1939, Vince was acquired by the Reds and, nine months later, in May 1940, the Reds traded him to the Pirates. Vince became the Pirates’ starting center fielder, succeeding Lloyd Waner. In 1941, Vince produced 21 home runs and 100 RBI.

On the run

In the 1943 game at Pittsburgh, the Cardinals had runners on second and third, one out, when Harry Walker faced Pirates starter Bob Klinger in the third inning at Forbes Field. Walker, a left-handed batter, lined a pitch to right-center and Vince DiMaggio gave chase.

“DiMaggio was racing backward at full speed when he glanced back, leaped” and speared the ball on the dead run, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The Pittsburgh Press said, “If Vince hadn’t made that final stretch, Walker would have had an inside-the-park homer.”

According to the Post-Dispatch, “DiMaggio made as fine a catch as you’ll ever see on a ballfield.”

Marty Marion tagged and scored from third on the play, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, and Walker was credited with a RBI.

Finding the gap

In the ninth, with the score tied at 2-2, the Cardinals had pitcher Red Munger on second base with two outs and Walker at the plate against Klinger. Walker hit a drive to left-center and DiMaggio again took off in pursuit.

“Vince made a desperate lunge for the ball,” the Post-Dispatch reported, but it landed just beyond his reach and skidded to the wall.

Munger scored easily from second with the go-ahead run and Walker circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run and a 4-2 Cardinals lead. Munger retired the Pirates in order in the bottom half of the inning, sealing the victory for St. Louis. Boxscore

The home run was the second of Walker’s big-league career. A line-drive hitter who sprayed the ball to all fields rather than an upper-cut swinger, Walker hit 10 home runs, including two inside the park, in 11 major-league seasons.

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How a scratch single cost Curt Davis a no-hitter

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on August 20, 2018| 3 Comments »

The career paths of pitcher Curt Davis and outfielder Ernie Koy intersected in two prominent ways for the Cardinals.

The first occurred on Aug. 24, 1938, when Davis pitched a one-hitter for the Cardinals against the Dodgers. Koy produced the only hit, a bunt single.

Two years later, on June 12, 1940, Davis and Koy were part of a blockbuster trade between the Cardinals and Dodgers. The Cardinals sent Davis and slugger Joe Medwick to the Dodgers for Koy, third baseman Bert Haas, pitchers Carl Doyle and Sam Nahem, and $125,000.

It was the second time Davis was part of a major Cardinals trade. On April 16, 1938, the Cardinals dealt pitcher Dizzy Dean to the Cubs for Davis, pitcher Clyde Shoun, outfielder Tuck Stainback and $185,000.

Though Davis wasn’t the caliber of future Hall of Famers Medwick and Dean, he was a successful starting pitcher who achieved 11 double-digit win seasons after getting a late start to his major-league career.

Late bloomer

Davis was born in Greenfield, Mo., and moved with his family to a farm near Salem, Ore., when he was 3. As a young adult, Davis held a variety of jobs, including picking apples, lumberjacking and driving a truck at a logger camp, according to a biography by the Society for American Baseball Research.

A right-handed pitcher, Davis played semipro baseball and signed his first minor-league contract when he was 24. He made his major-league debut with the 1934 Phillies at age 30 and had an impressive rookie season, with 19 wins and a 2.95 ERA for a seventh-place club.

Davis had 16 wins for the 1935 Phillies, was traded to Cubs for slugger Chuck Klein in May 1936, and won 11 for the Cubs in 1936 and 10 in 1937. When the Cubs had a chance to get the sore-armed Dean on the eve of the 1938 season, they jumped at the chance. Cardinals fans were disappointed to see Dean depart and took out their frustrations on Davis, whom they viewed as an inadequate replacement for the colorful ace.

Tough to handle

Davis, 34, took a 9-6 record and 4.48 ERA into his start against the Dodgers at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. He’d started two days earlier, Aug. 22, 1938, against the Reds and yielded five runs and eight hits in 3.2 innings.

The Cardinals and Dodgers both had losing records and the Wednesday game on a sweltering afternoon drew a paid crowd of 1,403. Another 1,183 boys and girls were admitted for free, putting the total attendance at 2,586.

With one out in the second inning, Koy, a rookie, pushed a drag bunt between the first-base line and the pitcher’s mound. As Koy, a former running back for the University of Texas football team, barreled toward the bag, first baseman Johnny Mize fielded the slow roller and tossed the ball to Davis, who was covering first.

“I hesitated an instant on my way over to first to let Mize get the ball out of his glove,” Davis said to the St. Louis Star-Times. “For a split second, I was afraid the throw would go behind me.”

The throw was on target, but Davis fumbled the ball as Koy streaked across the base and was called safe by umpire George Magerkurth.

Davis disagreed with the call, telling the Star-Times, “I thought I had Koy beat … Just as I caught the ball, I felt a thud behind me and naturally I thought it was an out.”

According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “Davis never did get his hands on the throw,” and both the New York Daily News and The Sporting News reported Davis mishandled the ball.

Magerkurth said Koy beat Mize’s throw to the bag and would have been safe even if Davis caught the ball cleanly, so the official scorer ruled the play a hit and not an error.

High quality

Medwick led off the bottom half of the second with a home run against Luke Hamlin, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. It was all the support Davis needed.

The Dodgers’ only other baserunner, Cookie Lavagetto, drew a walk with one out in the fifth and was picked off first by Davis.

The Cardinals got a two-run double from Stu Martin in the fifth, a RBI-single by Davis in the seventh and a final run driven in by Lynn Myers in the eighth, winning, 5-0, in a game played in 1:40.

Davis’ line: nine innings, one hit, one walk, four strikeouts and 28 batters faced. Boxscore

Two months earlier, on June 15, 1938, the Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers and walked eight. Davis’ gem on one day’s rest “was a far better pitching performance than the no-hit game,” the Daily Eagle declared.

That’s a winner

Davis finished with a 12-8 record and 3.63 ERA for the 1938 Cardinals. In 1939, he was 22-16 for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals got off to a dismal start in 1940 and by June the club was looking to deal veteran players for cash. Davis was 0-4 with a 5.17 ERA and Medwick was sulking and losing fan support when the Dodgers offered to take them.

Davis pitched the last seven seasons (1940-46) of his career with the Dodgers and was 66-54 for them. In 1941, when the Dodgers won the National League pennant, Davis was 13-7 with a 2.97 ERA.

In 13 seasons in the major leagues, Davis had a 158-131 record.

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How Cardinals came within a foot of no-hitter vs. Mets

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on August 13, 2018| 4 Comments »

An umpire’s ruling and an official scorer’s decision prevented the Cardinals from achieving a no-hitter against the Mets.

On Aug. 12, 1978, John Denny and Roy Thomas combined to pitch a one-hitter in a 5-1 Cardinals victory over the Mets at New York.

John Stearns had the lone hit, an infield single leading off the seventh inning.

Stearns would have been out on the play, but umpire Paul Pryor said first baseman Roger Freed took his foot off the bag too soon while catching a throw from second baseman Mike Tyson.

Pryor called Stearns safe and official scorer Red Foley of the New York Daily News credited Stearns with a single. If Stearns was safe because of Freed’s misstep, the play should have been scored an error, not a hit, the Cardinals argued.

Pitching and fielding

The game matched starting pitchers John Denny of the Cardinals against Kevin Kobel of the Mets. Denny was making his first appearance in two weeks after recovering from “a bad back, a bad left leg and a bad cold,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Kobel was a left-hander and Cardinals manager Ken Boyer decided to give his first baseman, left-handed batter Keith Hernandez, a break in the Saturday afternoon game. Backup first baseman Roger Freed started in place of Hernandez.

The Cardinals scored a run in the first and three in the second against Kobel. Denny limited the Mets to a walk in the first three innings.

In the bottom of the fourth, with one out, Denny walked Lee Mazzilli, who moved to second on a groundout by Willie Montanez. Stearns followed with a grounder to shortstop Garry Templeton, “who lobbed a throw to first,” according to the Post-Dispatch. The ball eluded Freed, Mazzilli scored from second and Templeton was charged with a two-base error.

Playing footsie

The Mets remained hitless entering the seventh against a tiring Denny. Boyer told the Post-Dispatch he planned to lift Denny after the inning, even if the no-hitter was intact. “After the fifth inning, I was losing it rapidly,” Denny said.

Stearns led off the Mets’ half of the seventh with a slow bouncer toward second. Tyson charged, grabbed the ball barehanded and, though off-balance. fired an accurate throw to Freed at first base.

As Stearns reached first, Pryor pointed toward the bag and the fielder, indicating Freed had pulled away too quickly after snaring Tyson’s toss.

“He pulled his foot off the base,” Pryor said to the Post-Dispatch. “Tyson made a hell of a play and, if he (Freed) had caught the ball with his foot on the bag, Stearns would have been out.”

Freed disagreed with the umpire and said, “He blew the play … We had him by a step and a half.”

Stearns and Mets first-base coach Denny Sommers said Pryor made the correct call.

Judgment call

As soon as Pryor declared Stearns safe, Foley scored the play a single.

Tyson disagreed, saying, “If he’s safe, then it’s got to be an error.”

Home plate umpire Ed Vargo told the Post-Dispatch, “It’s got to be an error.”

In Foley’s judgment, though, no error was made because the play was difficult and the fielders executed as best they could.

“It was a tough play for (Tyson) and he had to make a hell of a play just to make it close,” Foley said to the Post-Dispatch. “I’d like to give this guy a no-hitter, but I can’t.”

Denny got the next batter, Steve Henderson, to hit into a double play and Joel Youngblood grounded out to Templeton, ending the inning. Denny was done after yielding one unearned run, one disputed hit and three walks in seven innings.

The Cardinals scored another run in the eighth and Boyer put in Hernandez, who would win the first of 11 consecutive Gold Glove awards that year, as a defensive replacement for Freed. Thomas relieved Denny, allowed no hits and a walk in two innings, and closed out a 5-1 Cardinals victory.

Denny shrugged off any concern about missing a chance to be part of a no-hitter. “The idea is to win the game,” he said. Boxscore

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